Spetz AL, Kourilsky P, Larsson-Sciard EL. Induction of CD8 molecules on thymic gamma/delta T cells in vitro is dependent upon alpha/beta T cells.
Eur J Immunol 1991;
21:2755-9. [PMID:
1834469 DOI:
10.1002/eji.1830211116]
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Abstract
Thymocytes differentiate upon interactions with microenvironmental components, but the precise role of different stromal cells, or other T cells, in early differentiative events remains unclear. Here we have analyzed the in vitro differentiation of double-negative (DN) thymocytes from young adult mice. We demonstrate that a substantial proportion of DN thymocytes differentiate into CD8+ gamma/delta T cells upon stimulation with concanavalin A and recombinant interleukin 2. However, if alpha/beta T cells are excluded from the initial population of DN thymocytes, the CD8+ gamma/delta T cells do not appear in the cultures. These results suggest a role for T-T cell interactions in thymic differentiative events, and provide evidence for physiological interactions between the alpha/beta and gamma/delta T cell compartments within the thymus.
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