title: Timing and casting for actors of thymic negative selection.
abstract: We have recently proposed a new model for the differentiation pathway of alphabeta TCR thymocytes, with the CD4 and CD8 coreceptors undergoing an unexpectedly complex series of expression changes. Taking into account this new insight, we reinvestigated the timing of thymic negative selection. We found that, although endogenous superantigen-driven thymic negative selection could occur at different steps during double-positive/single-positive cell transition, this event was never observed among CD4lowCD8low TCRint CD69+ thymocytes, i.e., within the first subset to be generated upon TCR-mediated activation of immature double-positive cells. We confirm a role for CD40/CD40L interaction, and the absence of involvement of CD28 costimulation, in thymic deletion in vivo. Surprisingly, we found that thymic negative selection was impaired in the absence of Fas, but not FasL, molecule expression. Finally, we show involvement in opposing directions for p59fyn and SHP-1 molecules in signaling for thymic negative selection.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unit 345, Institut Necker, Paris, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dautigny
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Le Campion
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lucas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018106:CD28 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D019013:CD40 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D023201:CD40 Ligand; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008954:Models, Biological; D054592:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 11; D053824:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 6; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051076:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fyn; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism; D018089:Superantigens; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors