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Intrathymic radioresistant stem cells follow an IL-2/IL-2R pathway during thymic regeneration after sublethal irradiation

Journal Article · · Journal of Immunology; (USA)
OSTI ID:7043124
;  [1]
  1. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (USA)
Sublethally irradiated mice undergo thymic regeneration which follows a phenotypic pattern of events similar to that observed during normal fetal development. Thymic regeneration after irradiation is the product of a limited pool of intrathymic radioresistant stem cells undergoing simultaneous differentiation. We show that in this model of T cell development, thymic regeneration follows a pathway in which the IL-2R is transiently expressed on CD4-/CD8- cells. IL-2R expression occurred during the exponential growth period of thymic regeneration, and IL-2R blocking prevented this explosive growth. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the IL-2R blockade affected primarily the development of the immature CD3-/CD4-/CD8- (triple negative) cells and their ability to generate CD3+/CD4+/CD8+ or CD3+/CD4+/CD8- and CD3+/CD4-/CD8+ thymocytes. Thus, our findings demonstrate that blocking of the IL-2R resulted in an arrest in proliferation and differentiation by intrathymic radioresistant stem cells, indicating that the IL-2/IL-2R pathway is necessary for the expansion of immature triple negative T cells.
OSTI ID:
7043124
Journal Information:
Journal of Immunology; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Immunology; (USA) Vol. 144:10; ISSN JOIMA; ISSN 0022-1767
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English