title: Developmentally regulated expression of survivin in the human thymus.
abstract: Survivin is a member of the inhibitor-of-apoptosis (IAP) family. It has been reported to be expressed during development, but not in differentiated normal tissue. However, its expression has been reported to be high in the thymus. To assess the role of survivin in human thymocyte development, we investigated the expression of survivin using reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry in freshly isolated human thymocytes. Survivin was expressed in all thymocyte subsets but its expression level was developmentally regulated. Its expression was low in the double negative (DN) thymocytes, upregulated in double positive (DP) thymocytes, and was highest in the T-cell receptor(high), late DP thymocytes; it was then downregulated in the single positive thymocytes and negative in the peripheral blood T cells. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the expression of survivin and that of CD69 and Bcl-2 in DP thymocytes. These results suggest that survivin may play an important role in the T-cell development in the human thymus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II, Nagoya City University Medical School, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Haruhiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yukiue
authors.forename: Hidefumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fukai
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiriyama
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamakawa
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujii
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000077022:Survivin; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D000099192:CD69 Antigens
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D000077022:Survivin; D000099192:CD69 Antigens; C107489:BIRC5 protein, human