title: Receptor signals and nuclear events in CD4 and CD8 T cell lineage commitment.
abstract: MHC specificity in positive selection is a major determinant in the CD4/CD8 T cell lineage decision. Previous studies support the view that quantitative differences in T cell receptor (TCR) signaling in immature CD4+CD8+ double positive thymocytes leads to an instructive bias in CD4/CD8 T cell lineage commitment that must be re-inforced in subsequent selection steps to ensure that MHC-restricted antigen recognition is linked to appropriate effector functions in mature T cells. Recent work has further defined the TCR signaling pathways involved in this process, but a major effort has been made to identify transcription factors and other regulators of CD4 and CD8 T cell lineage commitment. Methods and screens for detecting changes in gene expression, associated with TCR signaling in positive selection and lineage determination, are starting to provide a better understanding of these complex developmental processes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. klaky@niaid.nih.gov
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Laky
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Fowlkes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051880:Receptors, Notch