title: Direct detection of FoxP3 expression in thymic double-negative CD4-CD8- cells by flow cytometry.
abstract: Foxp3 expression is a marker of regulatory T cells (Treg), but how early it is expressed in the thymus is still not fully defined. In this study, we examined Foxp3 expression in double-negative (DN) CD4(-)CD8(-) T cell precursors in the thymus by flow cytometry. By increasing the number of collected cells from the conventional 10(4) cells up to more than 10(6) cells during flow cytometry, we found that DN cells exhibited higher Foxp3 expression than double-positive (DP) CD4(+)CD8(+) and single-positive (SP) CD4(+) or CD8(+) (SP) T cells. CD44(+) expression positively correlated with Foxp3 in thymic DN cells. Furthermore, TCR-β(-)CD25(+) DN cells exhibited the highest frequency of Foxp3-expressing cells. Almost all Foxp3(+) cells expressed CD25in DN cells. These results suggest that Foxp3 expression in DN cells can directly be detected by flow cytometry and it was positively corelated with CD25 and CD44 in DN cells.
authors: Clinical Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical Collage, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China.
authors: Gang
authors: G
authors: Liu
authors: The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, China.
authors: Zongfang
authors: Z
authors: Li
authors: The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, China.
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Wei
authors: The School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China.
authors: Yan
authors: Y
authors: Lin
authors: The Department of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750004, China.
authors: Cengceng
authors: C
authors: Yang
authors: The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, China.
authors: Tie
authors: T
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C498833:Foxp3 protein, mouse; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit