title: The peptide ligands mediating positive selection in the thymus control T cell survival and homeostatic proliferation in the periphery.
abstract: Positive selection to self-MHC/peptide complexes has long been viewed as a device for skewing the T cell repertoire toward recognition of foreign peptides presented by self-MHC molecules. Here, we provide evidence for an alternative possibility, namely, that the self-peptides controlling positive selection in the thymus serve to maintain the longevity of mature T cells in the periphery. Surprisingly, when total T cell numbers are reduced, these self-ligands become overtly stimulatory and cause naive T cells to proliferate and undergo homeostatic expansion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, IMM26, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sprent
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Surh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000502:physiology; D006706:Homeostasis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010455:Peptides / Q000502:physiology*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000502:physiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D010455:Peptides; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell