title: Thymocyte apoptosis.
abstract: Apoptosis is the fate of most thymocytes. Many molecules participate in the decision of whether a thymocyte is to live or to die, including cell surface receptors, such as the T cell receptor for antigen, Notch-1, and costimulatory receptors, ligand-regulated nuclear transcription factors such as the glucocorticoid receptor, signaling, and effector proteases, and direct regulators of the apoptotic machinery such IAPs. In this review we discuss recent data concerning these molecules and pathways and their implication for understanding the mechanisms underlying thymocyte death, survival, and the generation of inmmunocompetent T cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Division of Basic Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ashwell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000502:physiology; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D011506:Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000502:physiology; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000502:physiology; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D051636:X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D051636:X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein; C496866:XIAP protein, human; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D020169:Caspases