TCR down-regulation controls T cell homeostasis.
TCR and cytokine receptor signaling play key roles in the complex homeostatic mechanisms that maintain a relative stable number of T cells throughout life. Despite the homeostatic mechanisms, a slow decline in naive T cells is typically observed with age. The CD3gamma di-leucine-based motif controls TCR down-regulation and plays a central role in fine-tuning TCR expression and signaling in T cells. In this study, we show that the age-associated decline of naive T cells is strongly accelerated in CD3gammaLLAA knock-in mice homozygous for a double leucine to alanine mutation in the CD3gamma di-leucine-based motif, whereas the number of memory T cells is unaffected by the mutation. This results in premature T cell population senescence with a severe dominance of memory T cells and very few naive T cells in middle-aged to old CD3gamma mutant mice. The reduced number of naive T cells in CD3gamma mutant mice was caused by the combination of reduced thymic output, decreased T cell apoptosis, and increased transition of naive T cells to memory T cells. Experiments with bone marrow chimeric mice confirmed that the CD3gammaLLAA mutation exerted a T cell intrinsic effect on T cell homeostasis that resulted in an increased transition of CD3gammaLLAA naive T cells to memory T cells and a survival advantage of CD3gammaLLAA T cells compared with wild-type T cells. The experimental observations were further supported by mathematical modeling of T cell homeostasis. Our study thus identifies an important role of CD3gamma-mediated TCR down-regulation in T cell homeostasis.
Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lasse
L
Boding
Charlotte Menné
CM
Bonefeld
Bodil L
BL
Nielsen
Jens Peter H
JP
Lauritsen
Marina Rode
MR
von Essen
Ann Kathrine
AK
Hansen
Jeppe Madura
JM
Larsen
Morten Milek
MM
Nielsen
Niels
N
Odum
Carsten
C
Geisler
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
D017252:CD3 Complex; C452842:CD3 antigen, gamma chain; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell