Kinetics of mature T-cell development in the thymus

Journal Article · Sun Apr 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.87.7.2579· OSTI ID:6896801

Egerton, M; Scollay, R; Shortman, K ^[1]

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1. Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)

We have reexamined the balance between cell birth, cell maturation, and cell death in the thymus by labeling dividing thymocytes and their progeny in vivo with (3H)-thymidine, isolating clearly defined subpopulations by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and determining the distribution of label by autoradiography. When mature thymocytes were precisely defined (as CD4+CD8- CD3+ or CD4-CD8+ CD3+) and separated from immature single positives (CD4+CD8- CD3- and CD4-CD8+ CD3-), a lag was observed in the rate of entry of (3H)thymidine into mature cells. Thus, many of the mature thymocytes appear to derive from a small nondividing cortical thymocyte pool, rather than originating directly from the earliest dividing CD4+CD8+ blasts. There was little evidence for cell division during or after mature thymocyte formation, suggesting a one-for-one differentiation from cortical cells rather than selective clonal expansion. The rate of production of mature single positive thymocytes agreed closely with estimates of the rate of export of mature T cells from the thymus and was only 3% of the rate of production of double-positive cortical thymocytes. This was compatible with a stringent selection process and extensive intrathymic cell death and suggested that no extensive negative selection occurred after the mature cells were formed.

• OSTI ID: 6896801
• Journal Information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA), Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA) Vol. 87:7; ISSN PNASA; ISSN 0027-8424
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550301* -- Cytology-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
ANTIGENS
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
AZINES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
CELL DIVISION
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DNA REPLICATION
FLUORESCENCE
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LEUKOCYTES
LUMINESCENCE
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
LYMPHOCYTES
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MEMBRANE PROTEINS
MICE
NUCLEIC ACID REPLICATION
NUCLEOSIDES
NUCLEOTIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PROTEINS
PYRIMIDINES
RECEPTORS
RIBOSIDES
RODENTS
SOMATIC CELLS
THYMIDINE
THYMOCYTES
THYMUS
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
VERTEBRATES