MHC-restricted T cell receptor signaling is required for alpha beta TCR replacement of the pre T cell receptor

Bacterial clearance reverses a skewed T-cell repertoire induced by Salmonella infection

Salmonella typhimurium invades the spleen, liver, and peripheral lymph nodes and has recently been detected in the bone marrow and thymus, resulting in a reduced thymic size and a decline in the total number of thymic cells. A specific deletion of the double-positive cell subset has been characterized, yet the export of mature T cells to the periphery remains normal. We analyzed Salmonella pathogenesis regarding thymic structure and the T-cell maturation process. We demonstrate that, despite alterations in the thymic structure, T-cell development is maintained during Salmonella infection, allowing the selection of single-positive T-cell clones expressing particular T-cell receptor beta chains (TCR-Vβ). Moreover, the treatment of infected mice with an antibiotic restored the normal thymic architecture and thymocyte subset distribution. Additionally, the frequency of TCR-Vβ usage after treatment was comparable to that in non-infected mice. However, bacteria were still recovered from the thymus after 1 month of treatment. Our data reveal that a skewed T-cell developmental process is present in the Salmonella-infected thymus that alters the TCR-Vβ usage frequency. Likewise, the post-treatment persistence of Salmonella reveals a novel function of the thymus as a potential reservoir for this infectious agent.

Negative selection, not receptor editing, is a physiological response of autoreactive thymocytes

Antigen receptor editing-a process of secondary rearrangements of antigen receptor genes in autoreactive lymphocytes-is a well-established tolerance mechanism in B cells, whereas its role in T cells remains controversial. Here, we investigated this issue using a novel Tcra knock-in locus, which ensured appropriate timing of TCRα expression and allowed secondary rearrangements. Under these conditions the only response to self-antigen that could be unambiguously identified was negative selection of CD4/CD8 double positive thymocytes. No evidence could be obtained for antigen-induced TCR editing, whereas replacement of the transgenic TCRα chain by ongoing gene rearrangement occurred in some cells irrespective of the presence or absence of self-antigen.

Peptide-specific, TCR-alpha-driven, coreceptor-independent negative selection in TCR alpha-chain transgenic mice

As thymocytes differentiate, Ag sensitivity declines, with immature CD4-CD8- double-negative (DN) cells being most susceptible to TCR signaling events. We show that expression of alphabetaTCR from the DN3 stage lowers the threshold for activation, allowing recognition of MHC peptides independently of the TCR beta-chain and without either T cell coreceptor. The MHC class I-restricted C6 TCR recognizes the Y-chromosome-derived Ag HYK(k)Smcy. Positive selection in C6 alphabetaTCR females is skewed to the CD8 compartment, whereas transgenic male mice exhibit early clonal deletion of thymocytes. We investigated the effect of the HYK(k)Smcy complex on developing thymocytes expressing the C6 TCR alpha-chain on a TCR-alpha(-/-) background. On the original selecting haplotype, the skew to the CD8 lineage is preserved. This is MHC dependent, as the normal bias to the CD4 subset is seen on an H2b background. In male H2k C6 alpha-only mice, the presence of the HYK(k)Smcy complex leads to a substantial deletion of thymocytes from the DN subset. This phenotype is replicated in H2k C6 alpha-only female mice expressing an Smcy transgene. Deletion is not dependent on the beta variable segment of the C6 TCR or on a restricted TCR-beta repertoire. In contrast, binding of HYK(k)Smcy and Ag-specific activation of mature CD8+ T cells is strictly dependent on the original C6 beta-chain. These data demonstrate that, in comparison with mature T cells, alphabetaTCR+ immature thymocytes can recognize and transduce signals in response to specific MHC-peptide complexes with relaxed binding requirements.

The thymus chapter in the life of gut-specific intra epithelial lymphocytes

The intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) represent multi-lineage T cell populations. In addition to a major gammadeltaTCR(+) T cell subset, many IEL express alphabetaTCRs and they can be separated into alphabeta sublineages. Some TCRalphabeta(+)IEL have characteristics in common with conventional TCRalphabeta(+)T cells whereas others share an unconventional phenotype with their TCRgammadelta(+) counterparts. Because the latter are enriched for autoreactive TCRs and can be generated in the absence of a thymus, it has long been postulated that some IEL subsets develop locally in the intestine. Several new data however, indicate that under physiological conditions, IEL require a thymic education that directs lineage commitment and functional differentiation. This review will discuss the contributions of the thymus in shaping the various intestinal IEL sublineages.