T-cell lineage determination.
T cells originate from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the bone marrow but complete their development in the thymus. HSCs give rise to a variety of non-renewing hematopoietic progenitors, among which a rare subset migrates to the thymus via the bloodstream. The earliest T-cell progenitors identified in the thymus are not T-lineage restricted but possess the ability to give rise to cells of many different lineages. Alternative lineage potentials are gradually lost as progenitors progress toward later developmental stages. Here, we review the early developmental events that might be involved in T-cell lineage fate determination, including the properties of possible thymus-settling progenitors, their homing into the thymus, and their T-cell lineage specification and commitment.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Qi
Q
Yang
J
J
Jeremiah Bell
Avinash
A
Bhandoola
D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D002450:Cell Communication; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D054503:Lymphoid Progenitor Cells / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000276:immunology
D015703:Antigens, CD; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D014157:Transcription Factors