title: Distinct roles of prostaglandin H synthases 1 and 2 in T-cell development.
abstract: Prostaglandin G and H synthases, or cyclooxygenases (COXs), catalyze the formation of prostaglandins (PGs). Whereas COX-1 is diffusely expressed in lymphoid cells in embryonic day 15.5 thymus, COX-2 expression is sparse, apparently limited to stromal cells. By contrast, COX-2 is predominant in a subset of medullary stromal cells in three- to five-week-old mice. The isozymes also differ in their contributions to lymphocyte development. Thus, experiments with selective COX-1 inhibitors in thymic lobes from normal and recombinase-activating gene-1 knockout mice support a role for this isoform in the transition from CD4(-)CD8(-) double-negative (DN) to CD4(+)CD8(+) double-positive (DP). Concordant data were obtained in COX-1 knockouts. Pharmacological inhibition and genetic deletion of COX-2, by contrast, support its role during early thymocyte proliferation and differentiation and, later, during maturation of the CD4 helper T-cell lineage. PGE2, but not other PGs, can rescue the effects of inhibition of either isoform, although it acts through distinct EP receptor subtypes. COX-dependent PG generation may represent a mechanism of thymic stromal support for T-cell development.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000494:pharmacology; D015870:Gene Expression; D016654:Genes, RAG-1; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008954:Models, Biological; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology