title: Cutting edge: homeostatic proliferation of peripheral T lymphocytes is regulated by clonal competition.
abstract: Homeostatic proliferation functions to maintain peripheral T cell numbers and is regulated by cytokines. In this study, we provide evidence that T cell homeostasis is also regulated by clonal competition. Naive polyclonal T cells divided when transferred to TCR transgenic hosts, as did monoclonal T cells when transferred to TCR transgenic hosts of differing clonotype. However, T cells did not divide in hosts of identical clono-type. Transgenic T cell proliferation was inhibited in irradiated hosts of the same clonotype, while cotransferred nontransgenic T cells proliferated extensively. These results show that clonal competition is a component of homeostasis that may contribute to selection of the peripheral T cell repertoire.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Amy E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Troy
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology / Q000528:radiation effects; D002999:Clone Cells; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011828:Radiation Chimera / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000637:transplantation; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000637:transplantation