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Liao K, Chen P, Zhang M, Wang J, Hatzihristidis T, Lin X, Yang L, Yao N, Liu C, Hong Y, Li X, Liu H, Zúñiga-Pflücker JC, Love PE, Chen X, Liu WH, Zhao B, Xiao C. Critical roles of the miR-17∼92 family in thymocyte development, leukemogenesis, and autoimmunity. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114261. [PMID: 38776224 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Thymocyte development requires precise control of PI3K-Akt signaling to promote proliferation and prevent leukemia and autoimmune disorders. Here, we show that ablating individual clusters of the miR-17∼92 family has a negligible effect on thymocyte development, while deleting the entire family severely impairs thymocyte proliferation and reduces thymic cellularity, phenocopying genetic deletion of Dicer. Mechanistically, miR-17∼92 expression is induced by Myc-mediated pre-T cell receptor (TCR) signaling, and miR-17∼92 promotes thymocyte proliferation by suppressing the translation of Pten. Retroviral expression of miR-17∼92 restores the proliferation and differentiation of Myc-deficient thymocytes. Conversely, partial deletion of the miR-17∼92 family significantly delays Myc-driven leukemogenesis. Intriguingly, thymocyte-specific transgenic miR-17∼92 expression does not cause leukemia or lymphoma but instead aggravates skin inflammation, while ablation of the miR-17∼92 family ameliorates skin inflammation. This study reveals intricate roles of the miR-17∼92 family in balancing thymocyte development, leukemogenesis, and autoimmunity and identifies those microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential therapeutic targets for leukemia and autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunyu Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Pengda Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Mengdi Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Furong Laboratory, Changsha, China
| | - Jiazhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Teri Hatzihristidis
- Section on Hematopoiesis and Lymphocyte Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Xiaoxi Lin
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Liang Yang
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Nan Yao
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chenfeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Yazhen Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Xia Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Furong Laboratory, Changsha, China; Department of Dermatology, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, National Engineering Research Center of Personalized Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Paul E Love
- Section on Hematopoiesis and Lymphocyte Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Xiang Chen
- Furong Laboratory, Changsha, China; Department of Dermatology, Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, National Engineering Research Center of Personalized Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Wen-Hsien Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China.
| | - Bin Zhao
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Furong Laboratory, Changsha, China.
| | - Changchun Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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2
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Yu H, Yang W, Cao M, Lei Q, Yuan R, Xu H, Cui Y, Chen X, Su X, Zhuo H, Lin L. Mechanism study of ubiquitination in T cell development and autoimmune disease. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1359933. [PMID: 38562929 PMCID: PMC10982411 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1359933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
T cells play critical role in multiple immune processes including antigen response, tumor immunity, inflammation, self-tolerance maintenance and autoimmune diseases et. Fetal liver or bone marrow-derived thymus-seeding progenitors (TSPs) settle in thymus and undergo T cell-lineage commitment, proliferation, T cell receptor (TCR) rearrangement, and thymic selections driven by microenvironment composed of thymic epithelial cells (TEC), dendritic cells (DC), macrophage and B cells, thus generating T cells with diverse TCR repertoire immunocompetent but not self-reactive. Additionally, some self-reactive thymocytes give rise to Treg with the help of TEC and DC, serving for immune tolerance. The sequential proliferation, cell fate decision, and selection during T cell development and self-tolerance establishment are tightly regulated to ensure the proper immune response without autoimmune reaction. There are remarkable progresses in understanding of the regulatory mechanisms regarding ubiquitination in T cell development and the establishment of self-tolerance in the past few years, which holds great potential for further therapeutic interventions in immune-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Yu
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wenyong Yang
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Min Cao
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qingqiang Lei
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Renbin Yuan
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - He Xu
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuqian Cui
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xuerui Chen
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xu Su
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
- College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hui Zhuo
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Liangbin Lin
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
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Oh S, Parikh D, Xiao J, Liu X, Gu K, Chong MMW. Mapping the two distinct proliferative bursts early in T-cell development. Immunol Cell Biol 2023; 101:766-774. [PMID: 37465975 PMCID: PMC10952215 DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
T-cell development occurs in the thymus and is tightly regulated to produce a diverse enough repertoire of mature T cells that can recognize any potential pathogen. The development of T cells is dependent on small numbers of uncommitted precursors that continually seed the thymus from the bone marrow. As they progress along the developmental pathway, there is a massive expansion in cell number to generate the necessary diversity in T-cell receptor chain usage. It is recognized that there are two proliferative bursts that occur early in T-cell development, one prior to β-selection and one after, and these are responsible for the expansion. While the proliferation following β-selection is well-characterized, the earlier proliferative burst has yet to be precisely defined. In this study, we employ single-cell RNA sequencing coupled to trajectory inference methods to pinpoint when in T-cell development thymocytes are induced into cell cycle. We show that the first proliferative burst is initiated in the double-negative (DN) 2a stage before T lineage commitment occurs, with cell cycling downregulated by the DN3a stage. A second burst is then initiated at the DN3b stage, immediately after β-selection. We subsequently employ fluorescence-activated cell sorting-based analysis for DNA content to confirm these two proliferative bursts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungyoul Oh
- St Vincent's Institute of Medical ResearchFitzroyVICAustralia
- Department of Medicine (St Vincent's)University of MelbourneFitzroyVICAustralia
| | - Dhruti Parikh
- St Vincent's Institute of Medical ResearchFitzroyVICAustralia
- Department of Medicine (St Vincent's)University of MelbourneFitzroyVICAustralia
| | - Jiyao Xiao
- St Vincent's Institute of Medical ResearchFitzroyVICAustralia
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVICAustralia
| | - Xin Liu
- St Vincent's Institute of Medical ResearchFitzroyVICAustralia
| | - Karen Gu
- St Vincent's Institute of Medical ResearchFitzroyVICAustralia
| | - Mark MW Chong
- St Vincent's Institute of Medical ResearchFitzroyVICAustralia
- Department of Medicine (St Vincent's)University of MelbourneFitzroyVICAustralia
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Pre-T cell receptor self-MHC sampling restricts thymocyte dedifferentiation. Nature 2023; 613:565-574. [PMID: 36410718 PMCID: PMC9851994 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05555-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Programming T cells to distinguish self from non-self is a vital, multi-step process that occurs in the thymus1-4. Signalling through the pre-T cell receptor (preTCR), a CD3-associated heterodimer comprising an invariant pTα chain and a clone-specific β chain, is a critical early checkpoint in thymocyte development within the αβ T cell lineage5,6. PreTCRs arrayed on CD4-CD8- double-negative thymocytes ligate peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex molecules (pMHC) on thymic stroma, similar to αβ T cell receptors that appear on CD4+CD8+ double-positive thymocytes, but via a different molecular docking strategy7-10. Here we show the consequences of these distinct interactions for thymocyte progression using synchronized fetal thymic progenitor cultures that differ in the presence or absence of pMHC on support stroma, and single-cell transcriptomes at key thymocyte developmental transitions. Although major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-negative stroma fosters αβ T cell differentiation, the absence of preTCR-pMHC interactions leads to deviant thymocyte transcriptional programming associated with dedifferentiation. Highly proliferative double-negative and double-positive thymocyte subsets emerge, with antecedent characteristics of T cell lymphoblastic and myeloid malignancies. Compensatory upregulation of diverse MHC class Ib proteins in B2m/H2-Ab1 MHC-knockout mice partially safeguards in vivo thymocyte progression, although disseminated double-positive thymic tumours may develop with ageing. Thus, as well as promoting β chain repertoire broadening for subsequent αβ T cell receptor utilization, preTCR-pMHC interactions limit cellular plasticity to facilitate normal thymocyte differentiation and proliferation that, if absent, introduce developmental vulnerabilities.
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5
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Shichkin VP, Antica M. Key Factors for Thymic Function and Development. Front Immunol 2022; 13:926516. [PMID: 35844535 PMCID: PMC9280625 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.926516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The thymus is the organ responsible for T cell development and the formation of the adaptive immunity function. Its multicellular environment consists mainly of the different stromal cells and maturing T lymphocytes. Thymus-specific progenitors of epithelial, mesenchymal, and lymphoid cells with stem cell properties represent only minor populations. The thymic stromal structure predominantly determines the function of the thymus. The stromal components, mostly epithelial and mesenchymal cells, form this specialized area. They support the consistent developmental program of functionally distinct conventional T cell subpopulations. These include the MHC restricted single positive CD4+ CD8- and CD4- CD8+ cells, regulatory T lymphocytes (Foxp3+), innate natural killer T cells (iNKT), and γδT cells. Several physiological causes comprising stress and aging and medical treatments such as thymectomy and chemo/radiotherapy can harm the thymus function. The present review summarizes our knowledge of the development and function of the thymus with a focus on thymic epithelial cells as well as other stromal components and the signaling and transcriptional pathways underlying the thymic cell interaction. These critical thymus components are significant for T cell differentiation and restoring the thymic function after damage to reach the therapeutic benefits.
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6
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Liang D, Sun Q, Zhu Z, Wang C, Ye S, Li Z, Wang Y. Xenotransplantation of Human Spermatogonia Into Various Mouse Recipient Models. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:883314. [PMID: 35676935 PMCID: PMC9168328 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.883314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Spermatogonial stem cells are the foundation of continuous spermatogenesis in adult mammals. Xenograft models have been established to define human SSCs, mostly using infertile and immune-deficient mice as the recipients for human germ cell transplantation. However, it is time-consuming to prepare such recipients using irradiation or chemotherapeutic agents, and this approach may also introduce confounding factors when residual endogenous germ cells recover in transplanted recipients. It remains to be determined whether immune-competent genetically infertile mice can be suitable recipients for xenotransplantation. In this study, we observed similar engraftment efficiencies when using spermatogonia from human biopsied testes across immune-deficient nude mice, immune-competent ICR mice, and genetically infertile Kitw/w-v mice, suggesting minimal immunological rejection from immune-competent mouse recipients upon xenotransplantation of human germ cells. More importantly, we derived EpCAM negative and TNAP positive spermatogonia-like cells (SLCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), which highly expressed spermatogonial markers including PLZF, INTERGRINα6, TKTL1, CD90, and DRMT3. We found that upon transplantation, these SLCs proliferated and colonized at the basal membrane of seminiferous tubules in testes of both immune-deficient nude mice and Kitw/w-v mice, though complete spermatogenesis would likely require supporting human signaling factors and microenvironment. Taken together, our study functionally defined the cell identity of PSC-derived SLCs, and supported xenotransplantation using genetically infertile recipients as a convenient model for functionally evaluating spermatogonia derived from different species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongli Liang
- Laboratory Animal Center, Instrumental Analysis Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qi Sun
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zijue Zhu
- Department of Andrology, The Center for Men’s Health, Urologic Medical Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chuanyun Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shicheng Ye
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zheng Li
- Department of Andrology, The Center for Men’s Health, Urologic Medical Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Yuan Wang, ; Zheng Li,
| | - Yuan Wang
- Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- *Correspondence: Yuan Wang, ; Zheng Li,
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7
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New insights into TCR β-selection. Trends Immunol 2021; 42:735-750. [PMID: 34261578 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
T cell receptor (TCR) β-selection (herein referred to as β-selection) is a pivotal checkpoint in mammalian T cell development when immature CD4-CD8- T-cells (thymocytes) express pre-TCR following successful Tcrb gene rearrangement. At this stage, αβ T cell lineage commitment and allelic exclusion to restrict one β-chain per cell take place and thymocytes undergo a proliferative burst. β-selection is known to be crucially dependent upon synchronized Notch and pre-TCR signaling; however, other necessary inputs have been identified over the past decade, expanding our knowledge and understanding of the β-selection process. In this review, we discuss recent mechanistic findings that have enabled a more detailed decoding of the molecular dynamics of the β-selection checkpoint and have helped to elucidate its role in early T cell development.
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8
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Li X, Mizsei R, Tan K, Mallis RJ, Duke-Cohan JS, Akitsu A, Tetteh PW, Dubey A, Hwang W, Wagner G, Lang MJ, Arthanari H, Wang JH, Reinherz EL. Pre-T cell receptors topologically sample self-ligands during thymocyte β-selection. Science 2021; 371:181-185. [PMID: 33335016 PMCID: PMC8011828 DOI: 10.1126/science.abe0918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Self-discrimination, a critical but ill-defined molecular process programmed during thymocyte development, requires myriad pre-T cell receptors (preTCRs) and αβTCRs. Using x-ray crystallography, we show how a preTCR applies the concave β-sheet surface of its single variable domain (Vβ) to "horizontally" grab the protruding MHC α2-helix. By contrast, αβTCRs purpose all six complementarity-determining region (CDR) loops of their paired VαVβ module to recognize peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex molecules (pMHCs) in "vertical" head-to-head binding. The preTCR topological fit ensures that CDR3β reaches the peptide's featured C-terminal segment for pMHC sampling, establishing the subsequent αβTCR canonical docking mode. "Horizontal" docking precludes germline CDR1β- and CDR2β-MHC binding to broaden β-chain repertoire diversification before αβTCR-mediated selection refinement. Thus, one subunit successively attunes the recognition logic of related multicomponent receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolong Li
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Réka Mizsei
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Kemin Tan
- Structural Biology Center, X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Robert J Mallis
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan S Duke-Cohan
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aoi Akitsu
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul W Tetteh
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Abhinav Dubey
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wonmuk Hwang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- School of Computational Sciences, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Gerhard Wagner
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew J Lang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Haribabu Arthanari
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jia-Huai Wang
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ellis L Reinherz
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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9
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Cumano A, Berthault C, Ramond C, Petit M, Golub R, Bandeira A, Pereira P. New Molecular Insights into Immune Cell Development. Annu Rev Immunol 2020; 37:497-519. [PMID: 31026413 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-042718-041319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
During development innate lymphoid cells and specialized lymphocyte subsets colonize peripheral tissues, where they contribute to organogenesis and later constitute the first line of protection while maintaining tissue homeostasis. A few of these subsets are produced only during embryonic development and remain in the tissues throughout life. They are generated through a unique developmental program initiated in lympho-myeloid-primed progenitors, which lose myeloid and B cell potential. They either differentiate into innate lymphoid cells or migrate to the thymus to give rise to embryonic T cell receptor-invariant T cells. At later developmental stages, adaptive T lymphocytes are derived from lympho-myeloid progenitors that colonize the thymus, while lymphoid progenitors become specialized in the production of B cells. This sequence of events highlights the requirement for stratification in the establishment of immune functions that determine efficient seeding of peripheral tissues by a limited number of cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cumano
- Unité Lymphopoïèse, Département d'Immunologie, INSERM U1223, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris CEDEX 15, France; , , .,Cellule Pasteur, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Claire Berthault
- Unité Lymphopoïèse, Département d'Immunologie, INSERM U1223, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris CEDEX 15, France; , , .,Cellule Pasteur, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Cyrille Ramond
- Unité Lymphopoïèse, Département d'Immunologie, INSERM U1223, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris CEDEX 15, France; , ,
| | - Maxime Petit
- Unité Lymphopoïèse, Département d'Immunologie, INSERM U1223, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris CEDEX 15, France; , , .,Cellule Pasteur, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Rachel Golub
- Unité Lymphopoïèse, Département d'Immunologie, INSERM U1223, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris CEDEX 15, France; , , .,Cellule Pasteur, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Antonio Bandeira
- Unité Lymphopoïèse, Département d'Immunologie, INSERM U1223, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris CEDEX 15, France; , , .,Cellule Pasteur, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Pablo Pereira
- Unité Lymphopoïèse, Département d'Immunologie, INSERM U1223, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris CEDEX 15, France; , , .,Cellule Pasteur, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France
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10
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Sethumadhavan A, Mani M. Kit activates interleukin-4 receptor and effector signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 independent of its cognate ligand in mouse mast cells. Immunology 2020; 159:441-449. [PMID: 31957000 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Signaling by Kit has been extensively studied in hematopoietic cells and is essential for the survival, proliferation and maintenance of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. In addition to the activation of intrinsic signaling pathways, Kit has been shown to interact with lineage-restricted type I cytokine receptors and produce cross signals, e.g. erythropoietin receptor, interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R), IL-3R. Based on the earlier studies, we hypothesize that Kit activate other type I cytokine receptors in a cell-specific manner and execute cell-specific function. To investigate other Kit-activated receptors, we tested Kit and IL-4R cross-receptor activation in murine bone-marrow-derived mast cells, which express both Kit and IL-4R at the surface level. Kit upon activation by Kit ligand (KL), activated IL-4Rα, γC , and signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 independent of its cognate ligand IL-4. Though KL and IL-4 are individually mitogenic, combinations of KL and IL-4 synergistically promoted mast cell proliferation. Furthermore, inhibition of lipid raft formation by methyl-β-cyclodextrin resulted in loss of synergistic proliferation. Together the data suggest IL-4R as a novel Kit-activated receptor. Such cross-receptor activations are likely to be a universal mechanism of Kit signaling in hematopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiswarya Sethumadhavan
- Cell Signaling Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
| | - Maheswaran Mani
- Cell Signaling Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
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11
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Tillman H, Janke LJ, Funk A, Vogel P, Rehg JE. Morphologic and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Spontaneous Lymphoma/Leukemia in NSG Mice. Vet Pathol 2019; 57:160-171. [PMID: 31736441 DOI: 10.1177/0300985819882631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ strain (NOD scid gamma, NSG) is a severely immunodeficient inbred laboratory mouse used for preclinical studies because it is amenable to engraftment with human cells. Combining scid and Il2rgnull mutations results in severe immunodeficiency by impairing the maturation, survival, and functionality of interleukin 2-dependent immune cells, including T, B, and natural killer lymphocytes. While NSG mice are reportedly resistant to developing spontaneous lymphomas/leukemias, there are reports of hematopoietic cancers developing. In this study, we characterized the immunophenotype of spontaneous lymphoma/leukemia in 12 NSG mice (20 to 38 weeks old). The mice had a combination of grossly enlarged thymus, spleen, or lymph nodes and variable histologic involvement of the bone marrow and other tissues. All 12 lymphomas were diffusely CD3, TDT, and CD4 positive, and 11 of 12 were also positive for CD8, which together was consistent with precursor T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia (pre-T-LBL). A subset of NSG tissues from all mice and neoplastic lymphocytes from 8 of 12 cases had strong immunoreactivity for retroviral p30 core protein, suggesting an association with a viral infection. These data highlight that NSG mice may develop T-cell lymphoma at low frequency, necessitating the recognition of this spontaneously arising disease when interpreting studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Tillman
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Laura J Janke
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Amy Funk
- Animal Resources Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Peter Vogel
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jerold E Rehg
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
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12
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Bosticardo M, Yamazaki Y, Cowan J, Giardino G, Corsino C, Scalia G, Prencipe R, Ruffner M, Hill DA, Sakovich I, Yemialyanava I, Tam JS, Padem N, Elder ME, Sleasman JW, Perez E, Niebur H, Seroogy CM, Sharapova S, Gebbia J, Kleiner GI, Peake J, Abbott JK, Gelfand EW, Crestani E, Biggs C, Butte MJ, Hartog N, Hayward A, Chen K, Heimall J, Seeborg F, Bartnikas LM, Cooper MA, Pignata C, Bhandoola A, Notarangelo LD. Heterozygous FOXN1 Variants Cause Low TRECs and Severe T Cell Lymphopenia, Revealing a Crucial Role of FOXN1 in Supporting Early Thymopoiesis. Am J Hum Genet 2019; 105:549-561. [PMID: 31447097 PMCID: PMC6731368 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2019.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
FOXN1 is the master regulatory gene of thymic epithelium development. FOXN1 deficiency leads to thymic aplasia, alopecia, and nail dystrophy, accounting for the nude/severe combined immunodeficiency (nu/SCID) phenotype in humans and mice. We identified several newborns with low levels of T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and T cell lymphopenia at birth, who carried heterozygous loss-of-function FOXN1 variants. Longitudinal analysis showed persistent T cell lymphopenia during infancy, often associated with nail dystrophy. Adult individuals with heterozygous FOXN1 variants had in most cases normal CD4+ but lower than normal CD8+ cell counts. We hypothesized a FOXN1 gene dosage effect on the function of thymic epithelial cells (TECs) and thymopoiesis and postulated that these effects would be more prominent early in life. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed TEC subset frequency and phenotype, early thymic progenitor (ETP) cell count, and expression of FOXN1 target genes (Ccl25, Cxcl12, Dll4, Scf, Psmb11, Prss16, and Cd83) in Foxn1nu/+ (nu/+) mice and age-matched wild-type (+/+) littermate controls. Both the frequency and the absolute count of ETP were significantly reduced in nu/+ mice up to 3 weeks of age. Analysis of the TEC compartment showed reduced expression of FOXN1 target genes and delayed maturation of the medullary TEC compartment in nu/+ mice. These observations establish a FOXN1 gene dosage effect on thymic function and identify FOXN1 haploinsufficiency as an important genetic determinant of T cell lymphopenia at birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marita Bosticardo
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, IDGS, DIR, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yasuhiro Yamazaki
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, IDGS, DIR, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jennifer Cowan
- Laboratory of Genome Integrity, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Giuliana Giardino
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences Federico II University, Naples 80138, Italy
| | - Cristina Corsino
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, IDGS, DIR, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Giulia Scalia
- Laboratory of Clinical research and Advanced Diagnostics, CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Rosaria Prencipe
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences Federico II University, Naples 80138, Italy
| | - Melanie Ruffner
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - David A Hill
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Inga Sakovich
- Immunology Lab, Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk 223053, Belarus
| | - Irma Yemialyanava
- Immunology Lab, Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk 223053, Belarus
| | - Jonathan S Tam
- Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
| | - Nurcicek Padem
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Melissa E Elder
- Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - John W Sleasman
- Division of Allergy, Immunology and Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27705, USA
| | - Elena Perez
- Allergy Associates of the Palm Beaches, North Palm Beach, FL 33408, USA
| | - Hana Niebur
- Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Christine M Seroogy
- Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792, USA
| | - Svetlana Sharapova
- Immunology Lab, Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk 223053, Belarus
| | - Jennifer Gebbia
- Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Gary Ira Kleiner
- Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Jane Peake
- Division of Paediatric Immunology and Allergy, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, University of Queensland School of Medicine, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia
| | - Jordan K Abbott
- Immunodeficiency Diagnosis and Treatment Program, Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Erwin W Gelfand
- Immunodeficiency Diagnosis and Treatment Program, Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Elena Crestani
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Catherine Biggs
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, British Columbia Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 0B3, Canada
| | - Manish J Butte
- Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Nicholas Hartog
- Spectrum Health Allergy and Immunology, Grand Rapids, MI 49525, USA
| | - Anthony Hayward
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI 02905, USA
| | - Karin Chen
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Jennifer Heimall
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Filiz Seeborg
- Section of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology & Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lisa M Bartnikas
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Megan A Cooper
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Rheumatology, Washington University in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Claudio Pignata
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences Federico II University, Naples 80138, Italy
| | - Avinash Bhandoola
- Laboratory of Genome Integrity, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Luigi D Notarangelo
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, IDGS, DIR, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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13
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Notch and the pre-TCR coordinate thymocyte proliferation by induction of the SCF subunits Fbxl1 and Fbxl12. Nat Immunol 2019; 20:1381-1392. [PMID: 31451788 PMCID: PMC6754294 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-019-0469-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Proliferation is tightly regulated during T cell development and is limited to immature CD4−CD8− thymocytes. The major proliferative event is initiated at the ‘β-selection’ stage following successful rearrangement of Tcrβ and is triggered by and dependent on concurrent signaling by Notch and the pre-TCR; however, it is unclear how these signals cooperate to promote cell proliferation. Here we found that β-selection-associated proliferation required the combined activity of two SCF ubiquitin ligase complexes that included as substrate recognition subunits the F-box proteins Fbxl1 or Fbxl12. Both SCF complexes targeted the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Cdkn1b for ubiquitinylaton and degradation. We found that Notch signals induced the transcription of Fbxl1 whereas pre-TCR signals induced the transcription of Fbxl12. Thus, concurrent Notch and pre-TCR signaling induced the expression of two genes, Fbxl1 and Fbxl12, whose products functioned identically but additively to promote degradation of Cdkn1b, cell cycle progression, and proliferation of β-selected thymocytes.
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14
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Sato K, Oiwa R, Kumita W, Henry R, Sakuma T, Ito R, Nozu R, Inoue T, Katano I, Sato K, Okahara N, Okahara J, Shimizu Y, Yamamoto M, Hanazawa K, Kawakami T, Kametani Y, Suzuki R, Takahashi T, Weinstein E, Yamamoto T, Sakakibara Y, Habu S, Hata JI, Okano H, Sasaki E. Generation of a Nonhuman Primate Model of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Using Highly Efficient Genome Editing. Cell Stem Cell 2016; 19:127-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2016.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2014] [Revised: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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15
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Staal FJT, Wiekmeijer AS, Brugman MH, Pike-Overzet K. The functional relationship between hematopoietic stem cells and developing T lymphocytes. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2016; 1370:36-44. [PMID: 26773328 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
In contrast to all other blood and immune cells, T lymphocytes do not develop in the bone marrow (BM), but in the specialized microenvironment provided by the thymus. Similar to the other lineages, however, all T cells arise from multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that reside in the BM. Not all HSCs give rise to T cells; but how many and what kind of developmental checkpoints are located along this intricate differentiation path is the subject of intense research. Traditionally, this process has been studied almost exclusively using mouse cells, but recent advances in immunodeficient mouse models, high-speed cell sorting, lentiviral transduction protocols, and deep sequencing techniques have allowed these questions to be addressed using human cells. Here we review the process of thymic seeding by BM-derived cells and T cell commitment in humans, discussing recent insights into the clonal composition of the thymus and the definition of developmental checkpoints, on the basis of insights from human severe combined immunodeficiency patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank J T Staal
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Anna-Sophia Wiekmeijer
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Martijn H Brugman
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Karin Pike-Overzet
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
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16
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Leyva-Rangel JP, de Los Angeles Hernández-Cueto M, Galan-Enriquez CS, López-Medina M, Ortiz-Navarrete V. Bacterial clearance reverses a skewed T-cell repertoire induced by Salmonella infection. IMMUNITY INFLAMMATION AND DISEASE 2015; 3:209-23. [PMID: 26417438 PMCID: PMC4578521 DOI: 10.1002/iid3.60] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Revised: 03/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica P Leyva-Rangel
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biomédicas Facultad de Medicina, UNAM Mexico City, CP 045510, Mexico ; Departamento de Biomedicina Molecular, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional (CINVESTAV) Mexico City
| | | | - Carlos-Samuel Galan-Enriquez
- Departamento de Biomedicina Molecular, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional (CINVESTAV) Mexico City
| | - Marcela López-Medina
- Departamento de Biomedicina Molecular, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional (CINVESTAV) Mexico City
| | - Vianney Ortiz-Navarrete
- Departamento de Biomedicina Molecular, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional (CINVESTAV) Mexico City
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17
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Gutierrez DA, Fu W, Schonefeldt S, Feyerabend TB, Ortiz-Lopez A, Lampi Y, Liston A, Mathis D, Rodewald HR. Type 1 diabetes in NOD mice unaffected by mast cell deficiency. Diabetes 2014; 63:3827-34. [PMID: 24917576 DOI: 10.2337/db14-0372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Mast cells have been invoked as important players in immune responses associated with autoimmune diseases. Based on in vitro studies, or in vivo through the use of Kit mutant mice, mast cells have been suggested to play immunological roles in direct antigen presentation to both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, in the regulation of T-cell and dendritic cell migration to lymph nodes, and in Th1 versus Th2 polarization, all of which could significantly impact the immune response against self-antigens in autoimmune disease, including type 1 diabetes (T1D). Until now, the role of mast cells in the onset and incidence of T1D has only been indirectly tested through the use of low-specificity mast cell inhibitors and activators, and published studies reported contrasting results. Our three laboratories have generated independently two strains of mast cell-deficient nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, NOD.Cpa3(Cre/+) (Heidelberg) and NOD.Kit(W-sh/W-sh) (Leuven and Boston), to address the effects of mast cell deficiency on the development of T1D in the NOD strain. Our collective data demonstrate that both incidence and progression of T1D in NOD mice are independent of mast cells. Moreover, analysis of pancreatic lymph node cells indicated that lack of mast cells has no discernible effect on the autoimmune response, which involves both innate and adaptive immune components. Our results demonstrate that mast cells are not involved in T1D in the NOD strain, making their role in this process nonessential and excluding them as potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario A Gutierrez
- Division of Cellular Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wenxian Fu
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Susann Schonefeldt
- Autoimmune Genetics Laboratory, VIB, Leuven, Belgium Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Adriana Ortiz-Lopez
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Yulia Lampi
- Autoimmune Genetics Laboratory, VIB, Leuven, Belgium Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Adrian Liston
- Autoimmune Genetics Laboratory, VIB, Leuven, Belgium Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Diane Mathis
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Hans-Reimer Rodewald
- Division of Cellular Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
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18
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Xiong J, Parker BL, Yankee TM. The combined loss of Gads and CD127 reveals a novel function of Gads prior to TCRβ expression. Immunol Res 2014; 60:77-84. [PMID: 25037454 DOI: 10.1007/s12026-014-8556-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The Gads adaptor protein is an essential component of the T cell signaling complex critical for T cell receptor-mediated calcium mobilization. After expression of TCRβ in T cell precursors, Gads is required for optimal Bcl-2 expression and cell survival. Similarly, the IL-7 receptor chain CD127 is also necessary for optimal Bcl-2 expression and cell survival in TCRβ-expressing thymocytes. Based on these observations, we tested whether Gads and CD127 might regulate convergent or linear signaling pathways by crossing Gads(-/-) mice with CD127(-/-) mice. Thymi from Gads(-/-)CD127(-/-) mice were barely detectable and many of the thymocytes were within the DN1 population. By contrast, B cell development in the Gads(-/-)CD127(-/-) mice was comparable to that of CD127(-/-) mice, indicating that the combined loss of Gads and CD127 did not lead to a global deficit in hematopoiesis. Analysis of Lin(-)Sca-1(+)c-kit(+) bone marrow cells and bone marrow chimera experiments indicated that Gads(-/-)CD127(-/-) T cell precursors either failed to migrate into the thymus or survive in the thymus. These data demonstrate that Gads functions at a stage of T cell development that had not been previously described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Xiong
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, 3025 WHW - MS 3029, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA
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19
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Bredenkamp N, Nowell CS, Blackburn CC. Regeneration of the aged thymus by a single transcription factor. Development 2014; 141:1627-37. [PMID: 24715454 PMCID: PMC3978836 DOI: 10.1242/dev.103614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Thymic involution is central to the decline in immune system function that occurs with age. By regenerating the thymus, it may therefore be possible to improve the ability of the aged immune system to respond to novel antigens. Recently, diminished expression of the thymic epithelial cell (TEC)-specific transcription factor Forkhead box N1 (FOXN1) has been implicated as a component of the mechanism regulating age-related involution. The effects of upregulating FOXN1 function in the aged thymus are, however, unknown. Here, we show that forced, TEC-specific upregulation of FOXN1 in the fully involuted thymus of aged mice results in robust thymus regeneration characterized by increased thymopoiesis and increased naive T cell output. We demonstrate that the regenerated organ closely resembles the juvenile thymus in terms of architecture and gene expression profile, and further show that this FOXN1-mediated regeneration stems from an enlarged TEC compartment, rebuilt from progenitor TECs. Collectively, our data establish that upregulation of a single transcription factor can substantially reverse age-related thymic involution, identifying FOXN1 as a specific target for improving thymus function and, thus, immune competence in patients. More widely, they demonstrate that organ regeneration in an aged mammal can be directed by manipulation of a single transcription factor, providing a provocative paradigm that may be of broad impact for regenerative biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Bredenkamp
- Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, SCRM Building, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
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20
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Martins VC, Busch K, Juraeva D, Blum C, Ludwig C, Rasche V, Lasitschka F, Mastitsky SE, Brors B, Hielscher T, Fehling HJ, Rodewald HR. Cell competition is a tumour suppressor mechanism in the thymus. Nature 2014; 509:465-70. [PMID: 24828041 DOI: 10.1038/nature13317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2013] [Accepted: 04/10/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cell competition is an emerging principle underlying selection for cellular fitness during development and disease. Competition may be relevant for cancer, but an experimental link between defects in competition and tumorigenesis is elusive. In the thymus, T lymphocytes develop from precursors that are constantly replaced by bone-marrow-derived progenitors. Here we show that in mice this turnover is regulated by natural cell competition between 'young' bone-marrow-derived and 'old' thymus-resident progenitors that, although genetically identical, execute differential gene expression programs. Disruption of cell competition leads to progenitor self-renewal, upregulation of Hmga1, transformation, and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) resembling the human disease in pathology, genomic lesions, leukaemia-associated transcripts, and activating mutations in Notch1. Hence, cell competition is a tumour suppressor mechanism in the thymus. Failure to select fit progenitors through cell competition may explain leukaemia in X-linked severe combined immune deficiency patients who showed thymus-autonomous T-cell development after therapy with gene-corrected autologous progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera C Martins
- 1] Division of Cellular Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany [2] Institute of Immunology, University of Ulm, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Katrin Busch
- Division of Cellular Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dilafruz Juraeva
- Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Carmen Blum
- Institute of Immunology, University of Ulm, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Carolin Ludwig
- Institute of Immunology, University of Ulm, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Volker Rasche
- Core Facility Small Animal MRI, University of Ulm, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Felix Lasitschka
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sergey E Mastitsky
- Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Benedikt Brors
- Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Hielscher
- Division of Biostatistics, German Cancer Research Center, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Hans-Reimer Rodewald
- Division of Cellular Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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21
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Boehm T. Self-renewal of thymocytes in the absence of competitive precursor replenishment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 209:1397-400. [PMID: 22851642 PMCID: PMC3420333 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20121412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Soon after transplantation of wild-type thymi into immunodeficient mice lacking functional T cell receptors, productive T cell development in the donor thymus ceases. This observation underlies one of the central dogmas of T cell biology: because thymocytes are seemingly short-lived, intrathymic T cell development depends on continuous import of lymphoid progenitors from the bone marrow. New work reinterprets the outcome of this classical experiment as being the result of competition for intrathymic niches specifically supporting the DN3 stage of early T cell development. Surprisingly, when this niche space is uncontested by immigrating host progenitors, development of T cells in the thymus grafts continues. These new findings suggest that early thymocytes do indeed have substantial self-renewing potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Boehm
- Department of Developmental Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany.
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22
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GATA-3 promotes T-cell specification by repressing B-cell potential in pro-T cells in mice. Blood 2013; 121:1749-59. [PMID: 23287858 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2012-06-440065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors orchestrate T-lineage differentiation in the thymus. One critical checkpoint involves Notch1 signaling that instructs T-cell commitment at the expense of the B-lineage program. While GATA-3 is required for T-cell specification, its mechanism of action is poorly understood. We show that GATA-3 works in concert with Notch1 to commit thymic progenitors to the T-cell lineage via 2 distinct pathways. First, GATA-3 orchestrates a transcriptional “repertoire” that is required for thymocyte maturation up to and beyond the pro-T-cell stage. Second, GATA-3 critically suppresses a latent B-cell potential in pro–T cells. As such, GATA-3 is essential to sealing in Notch-induced T-cell fate in early thymocyte precursors by promoting T-cell identity through the repression of alternative developmental options.
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23
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Martins VC, Ruggiero E, Schlenner SM, Madan V, Schmidt M, Fink PJ, von Kalle C, Rodewald HR. Thymus-autonomous T cell development in the absence of progenitor import. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 209:1409-17. [PMID: 22778389 PMCID: PMC3420332 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20120846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
To be added Thymus function is thought to depend on a steady supply of T cell progenitors from the bone marrow. The notion that the thymus lacks progenitors with self-renewal capacity is based on thymus transplantation experiments in which host-derived thymocytes replaced thymus-resident cells within 4 wk. Thymus grafting into T cell–deficient mice resulted in a wave of T cell export from the thymus, followed by colonization of the thymus by host-derived progenitors, and cessation of T cell development. Compound Rag2−/−γc−/−KitW/Wv mutants lack competitive hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and are devoid of T cell progenitors. In this study, using this strain as recipients for wild-type thymus grafts, we noticed thymus-autonomous T cell development lasting several months. However, we found no evidence for export of donor HSCs from thymus to bone marrow. A diverse T cell antigen receptor repertoire in progenitor-deprived thymus grafts implied that many thymocytes were capable of self-renewal. Although the process was most efficient in Rag2−/−γc−/−KitW/Wv hosts, γc-mediated signals alone played a key role in the competition between thymus-resident and bone marrow–derived progenitors. Hence, the turnover of each generation of thymocytes is not only based on short life span but is also driven via expulsion of resident thymocytes by fresh progenitors entering the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera C Martins
- Institute for Immunology, University of Ulm, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
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24
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Feyerabend TB, Weiser A, Tietz A, Stassen M, Harris N, Kopf M, Radermacher P, Möller P, Benoist C, Mathis D, Fehling HJ, Rodewald HR. Cre-mediated cell ablation contests mast cell contribution in models of antibody- and T cell-mediated autoimmunity. Immunity 2012; 35:832-44. [PMID: 22101159 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2011.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 258] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2010] [Revised: 01/28/2011] [Accepted: 09/21/2011] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Immunological functions of mast cells remain poorly understood. Studies in Kit mutant mice suggest key roles for mast cells in certain antibody- and T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. However, Kit mutations affect multiple cell types of both immune and nonimmune origin. Here, we show that targeted insertion of Cre-recombinase into the mast cell carboxypeptidase A3 locus deleted mast cells in connective and mucosal tissues by a genotoxic Trp53-dependent mechanism. Cre-mediated mast cell eradication (Cre-Master) mice had, with the exception of a lack of mast cells and reduced basophils, a normal immune system. Cre-Master mice were refractory to IgE-mediated anaphylaxis, and this defect was rescued by mast cell reconstitution. This mast cell-deficient strain was fully susceptible to antibody-induced autoimmune arthritis and to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Differences comparing Kit mutant mast cell deficiency models to selectively mast cell-deficient mice call for a systematic re-evaluation of immunological functions of mast cells beyond allergy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten B Feyerabend
- Division for Cellular Immunology, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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25
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Keratinocyte Growth Factor and Stem Cell Factor to Improve Thymopoiesis after Autologous CD34+ Cell Transplantation in Rhesus Macaques. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2012; 18:55-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2011.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2011] [Accepted: 09/23/2011] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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26
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Wils EJ, Rombouts EJC, van Mourik I, Spits H, Legrand N, Braakman E, Cornelissen JJ. Stem Cell Factor Consistently Improves Thymopoiesis after Experimental Transplantation of Murine or Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Immunodeficient Mice. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 187:2974-81. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1004209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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27
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Nonoverlapping functions for Notch1 and Notch3 during murine steady-state thymic lymphopoiesis. Blood 2011; 118:2511-9. [PMID: 21768299 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2011-04-346726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Notch1 signaling is absolutely essential for steady-state thymic lymphopoiesis, but the role of other Notch receptors, and their potential overlap with the function of Notch1, remains unclear. Here we show that like Notch1, Notch3 is differentially expressed by progenitor thymocytes, peaking at the DN3 progenitor stage. Using mice carrying a gene-trapped allele, we show that thymic cellularity is slightly reduced in the absence of Notch3, although progression through the defined sequence of TCR-αβ development is normal, as are NKT and TCRγδ cell production. The absence of a profound effect from Notch3 deletion is not explained by residual function of the gene-trapped allele because insertion mapping suggests that the targeted allele would not encode functional signaling domains. We also show that although Notch1 and Notch3 are coexpressed on some early intrathymic progenitors, the relatively mild phenotype seen after Notch3 deletion does not result from the compensatory function of Notch1, nor does Notch3 function explain the likewise mild phenotype seen after conditional (intrathymic) deletion of Notch1. Our studies indicate that Notch1 and Notch3 carry out nonoverlapping functions during thymocyte differentiation, and that while Notch1 is absolutely required early in the lymphopoietic process, neither receptor is essential at later stages.
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28
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Hosoya T, Maillard I, Engel JD. From the cradle to the grave: activities of GATA-3 throughout T-cell development and differentiation. Immunol Rev 2011; 238:110-25. [PMID: 20969588 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.2010.00954.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
GATA family transcription factors play multiple vital roles in hematopoiesis in many cell lineages, and in particular, T cells require GATA-3 for execution of several developmental steps. Transcriptional activation of the Gata3 gene is observed throughout T-cell development and differentiation in a stage-specific fashion. GATA-3 has been described as a master regulator of T-helper 2 (Th2) cell differentiation in mature CD4(+) T cells. During T-cell development in the thymus, its roles in the CD4 versus CD8 lineage choice and at the β-selection checkpoint are the best characterized. In contrast, its importance prior to β-selection has been obscured both by the developmental heterogeneity of double negative (DN) 1 thymocytes and the paucity of early T-lineage progenitors (ETPs), a subpopulation of DN1 cells that contains the most immature thymic progenitors that retain potent T-lineage developmental potential. By examining multiple lines of in vivo evidence procured through the analysis of Gata3 mutant mice, we have recently demonstrated that GATA-3 is additionally required at the earliest stage of thymopoiesis for the development of the ETP population. Here, we review the characterized functions of GATA-3 at each stage of T-cell development and discuss hypothetical molecular pathways that mediate these functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomonori Hosoya
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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29
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Combined Effects of Interleukin-7 and Stem Cell Factor Administration on Lymphopoiesis after Murine Bone Marrow Transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2011; 17:48-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2010.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2010] [Accepted: 07/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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30
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Roberts NA, Desanti GE, Withers DR, Scott HR, Jenkinson WE, Lane PJL, Jenkinson EJ, Anderson G. Absence of thymus crosstalk in the fetus does not preclude hematopoietic induction of a functional thymus in the adult. Eur J Immunol 2009; 39:2395-402. [DOI: 10.1002/eji.200939501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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31
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Shakib S, Desanti GE, Jenkinson WE, Parnell SM, Jenkinson EJ, Anderson G. Checkpoints in the development of thymic cortical epithelial cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2009; 182:130-7. [PMID: 19109143 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.182.1.130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
In the thymus, interactions between immature thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells (TECs) regulate the development and selection of self-tolerant MHC-restricted T cells. Despite the importance of cortical (cTEC) and medullary (mTEC) thymic epithelial cells in fostering T cell production, events in TEC development are still unclear. Although precursor-product relationships during mTEC development have been reported, and some genetic regulators of mTEC development have been identified, stages in cTEC development occurring downstream of recently identified bipotent cTEC/mTEC progenitors remain poorly defined. In this study, we combine analysis of differentiation, proliferation, and gene expression of TECs in the murine thymus, that has enabled us to identify cTEC progenitors, define multiple stages in cTEC development, and identify novel checkpoints in development of the cTEC lineage. We show an essential requirement for FoxN1 in the initial development of cTEC from bipotent progenitors, and demonstrate a stage-specific requirement for CD4(-)8(-) thymocytes in later stages of cTEC development. Collectively, our data establish a program of cTEC development that should provide insight into the formation and function of the thymic cortex for T cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saba Shakib
- Medical Research Council Centre for Immune Regulation, Institute for Biomedical Research, Medical School, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
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32
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Trede NS, Ota T, Kawasaki H, Paw BH, Katz T, Demarest B, Hutchinson S, Zhou Y, Hersey C, Zapata A, Amemiya CT, Zon LI. Zebrafish mutants with disrupted early T-cell and thymus development identified in early pressure screen. Dev Dyn 2009; 237:2575-84. [PMID: 18729230 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.21683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Generation of mature T lymphocytes requires an intact hematopoietic stem cell compartment and functional thymic epithelium. We used the zebrafish (Danio rerio) to isolate mutations that affect the earliest steps in T lymphopoiesis and thymic organogenesis. Here we describe the results of a genetic screen in which gynogenetic diploid offspring from heterozygous females were analyzed by whole-mount in situ hybridization for the expression of rag-1. To assess immediately if a global defect in hematopoiesis resulted in the mutant phenotype, alpha-embryonic globin expression was simultaneously assayed for multilineage defects. In this report, we present the results obtained with this strategy and show representative mutant phenotypes affecting early steps in T-cell development and/or thymic epithelial cell development. We discuss the advantage of this strategy and the general usefulness of the zebrafish as a model system for vertebrate lymphopoiesis and thymic organogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaus S Trede
- Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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33
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Feyerabend TB, Terszowski G, Tietz A, Blum C, Luche H, Gossler A, Gale NW, Radtke F, Fehling HJ, Rodewald HR. Deletion of Notch1 Converts Pro-T Cells to Dendritic Cells and Promotes Thymic B Cells by Cell-Extrinsic and Cell-Intrinsic Mechanisms. Immunity 2009; 30:67-79. [DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2008.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2008] [Revised: 09/25/2008] [Accepted: 10/20/2008] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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34
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Sambandam A, Bell JJ, Schwarz BA, Zediak VP, Chi AW, Zlotoff DA, Krishnamoorthy SL, Burg JM, Bhandoola A. Progenitor migration to the thymus and T cell lineage commitment. Immunol Res 2008; 42:65-74. [DOI: 10.1007/s12026-008-8035-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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35
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Maintenance of a normal thymic microenvironment and T-cell homeostasis require Smad4-mediated signaling in thymic epithelial cells. Blood 2008; 112:3688-95. [PMID: 18695001 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2008-04-150532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Signals mediated by the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily of growth factors have been implicated in thymic epithelial cell (TEC) differentiation, homeostasis, and function, but a direct reliance on these signals has not been established. Here we demonstrate that a block in canonical transforming growth factor-beta signaling by the loss of Smad4 expression in TECs leads to qualitative changes in TEC function and a progressively disorganized thymic microenvironment. Moreover, the number of thymus resident early T-lineage progenitors is severely reduced in the absence of Smad4 expression in TECs and directly correlates with extensive thymic and peripheral lymphopenia. Our observations hence place Smad4 within the signaling events in TECs that determine total thymus cellularity by controlling the number of early T-lineage progenitors.
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36
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Abstract
The epithelial architecture of the thymus fosters growth, differentiation, and T cell receptor repertoire selection of large numbers of immature T cells that continuously feed the mature peripheral T cell pool. Failure to build or to maintain a proper thymus structure can lead to defects ranging from immunodeficiency to autoimmunity. There has been long-standing interest in unraveling the cellular and molecular basis of thymus organogenesis. Earlier studies gave important morphological clues on thymus development. More recent cell biological and genetic approaches yielded new and conclusive insights regarding the germ layer origin of the epithelium and the composition of the medulla as a mosaic of clonally derived islets. The existence of epithelial progenitors common for cortex and medulla with the capacity for forming functional thymus after birth has been uncovered. In addition to the thymus in the chest, mice can have a cervical thymus that is small, but functional, and produces T cells only after birth. It will be important to elucidate the pathways from putative thymus stem cells to mature thymus epithelial cells, and the properties and regulation of these pathways from ontogeny to thymus involution.
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37
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Abstract
Like all hematopoietic cells, T lymphocytes are derived from bone-marrow-resident stem cells. However, whereas most blood lineages are generated within the marrow, the majority of T cell development occurs in a specialized organ, the thymus. This distinction underscores the unique capacity of the thymic microenvironment to support T lineage restriction and differentiation. Although the identity of many of the contributing thymus-derived signals is well established and rooted in highly conserved pathways involving Notch, morphogenetic, and protein tyrosine kinase signals, the manner in which the ensuing cascades are integrated to orchestrate the underlying processes of T cell development remains under investigation. This review focuses on the current definition of the early stages of T cell lymphopoiesis, with an emphasis on the nature of thymus-derived signals delivered to T cell progenitors that support the commitment and differentiation of T cells toward the alphabeta and gammadelta T cell lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ciofani
- Molecular Pathogenesis Program, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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38
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Masse GX, Corcuff E, Decaluwe H, Bommhardt U, Lantz O, Buer J, Di Santo JP. gamma(c) cytokines provide multiple homeostatic signals to naive CD4(+) T cells. Eur J Immunol 2007; 37:2606-16. [PMID: 17683114 DOI: 10.1002/eji.200737234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Cytokines signaling through receptors sharing the common gamma chain (gamma(c)), including IL-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, IL-15 and IL-21, are critical for the generation and peripheral homeostasis of B, T and NK cells. To identify unique or redundant roles for gamma(c) cytokines in naive CD4(+) T cells, we compared monoclonal populations of CD4(+) T cells from TCR-Tg mice that were gamma(c) (+), gamma(c) (-), CD127(-/-) or CD122(-/-). We found that gamma(c) (-) naive CD4(+) T cells failed to accumulate in the peripheral lymphoid organs and the few remaining cells were characterized by small size, decreased expression of MHC class I and enhanced apoptosis. By over-expressing human Bcl-2, peripheral naive CD4(+) T cells that lack gamma(c) could be rescued. Bcl-2(+) gamma(c) (-) CD4(+) T cells demonstrated enhanced survival characteristics in vivo and in vitro, and could proliferate normally in vitro in response to antigen. Nevertheless, Bcl-2(+) gamma(c) (-) CD4(+) T cells remained small in size, and this phenotype was not corrected by enforced expression of an activated protein kinase B. We conclude that gamma(c) cytokines (primarily but not exclusively IL-7) provide Bcl-2-dependent as well as Bcl-2-independent signals to maintain the phenotype and homeostasis of the peripheral naive CD4(+) T cell pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillemette X Masse
- Cytokines and Lymphoid Development Unit, Immunology Department, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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39
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Sitnicka E, Buza-Vidas N, Ahlenius H, Cilio CM, Gekas C, Nygren JM, Månsson R, Cheng M, Jensen CT, Svensson M, Leandersson K, Agace WW, Sigvardsson M, Jacobsen SEW. Critical role of FLT3 ligand in IL-7 receptor–independent T lymphopoiesis and regulation of lymphoid-primed multipotent progenitors. Blood 2007; 110:2955-64. [PMID: 17540845 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2006-10-054726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe molecular pathways regulating lymphoid priming, fate, and development of multipotent bone marrow (BM) stem/progenitor cells that continuously replace thymic progenitors remain largely unknown. Herein, we show that fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (Flt3) ligand (Fl)–deficient mice have distinct reductions in the earliest thymic progenitors in fetal, postnatal, and adult thymus. A critical role of FL in thymopoiesis was particularly evident in the absence of interleukin-7 receptor α (IL-7Rα) signaling. Fl−/−Il-7r−/− mice have extensive reductions in fetal and postnatal thymic progenitors that result in a loss of active thymopoiesis in adult mice, demonstrating an indispensable role of FL in IL-7Rα–independent fetal and adult T lymphopoiesis. Moreover, we establish a unique and critical role of FL, distinct from that of IL-7Rα, in regulation of the earliest lineage-negative (Lin−) Lin−SCA1+KIT+ (LSK) FLT3hi lymphoid-primed multipotent progenitors in BM, demonstrating a key role of FLT3 signaling in regulating the very earliest stages of lymphoid progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Sitnicka
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Laboratory, Lund Strategic Research Center for Stem Cell Biology and Cell Therapy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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40
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Itoi M, Tsukamoto N, Yoshida H, Amagai T. Mesenchymal cells are required for functional development of thymic epithelial cells. Int Immunol 2007; 19:953-64. [PMID: 17625108 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxm060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions have essential roles in thymus organogenesis. Mesenchymal cells are known to be required for epithelial cell proliferation. However, the contribution of mesenchymal cells to thymic epithelial cell differentiation is still unclear. In the present study, we have investigated the roles of mesenchymal cells in functional development of epithelial cells in the thymus anlage in patch (ph) mutant mice, which have a primarily defect in mesenchymal cells caused by the absence of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha expression. In the ph/ph thymus anlage, T cell progenitors migrate normally among the epithelial cells, however, they are severely impaired to proliferate and differentiate to CD25-positive cells. Epithelial cells of the ph/ph thymus anlage show severely impaired proliferation and expression of functional molecules, such as SCF, Delta-like 4 and MHC class II, which have crucial roles in T cell development. Moreover, the cultured ph/ph thymus anlage fails to develop into a mature organ supporting full T cell development. Addition of intact thymic mesenchymal cells to organ culture induces development of the ph/ph thymus anlage. In the cultured lobes, added mesenchymal cells contribute to form not only the capsule but also the meshwork structure mingled with epithelial cells. Our present results strongly suggest the roles of mesenchymal cells in functional development of epithelial cells in thymus organogenesis. In addition, our data suggest that mesenchymal cells are required to create the thymic microenvironment and to maintain epithelial architecture and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manami Itoi
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Meiji University of Oriental Medicine, Hiyoshi-cho, Nantan, Kyoto 629-0392, Japan.
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41
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Petrie HT, Zúñiga-Pflücker JC. Zoned out: functional mapping of stromal signaling microenvironments in the thymus. Annu Rev Immunol 2007; 25:649-79. [PMID: 17291187 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.immunol.23.021704.115715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 343] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
All hematopoietic cells, including T lymphocytes, originate from stem cells that reside in the bone marrow. Most hematopoietic lineages also mature in the bone marrow, but in this respect, T lymphocytes differ. Under normal circumstances, most T lymphocytes are produced in the thymus from marrow-derived progenitors that circulate in the blood. Cells that home to the thymus from the marrow possess the potential to generate multiple T and non-T lineages. However, there is little evidence to suggest that, once inside the thymus, they give rise to anything other than T cells. Thus, signals unique to the thymic microenvironment compel multipotent progenitors to commit to the T lineage, at the expense of other potential lineages. Summarizing what is known about the signals the thymus delivers to uncommitted progenitors, or to immature T-committed progenitors, to produce functional T cells is the focus of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard T Petrie
- Scripps Florida Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, USA.
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42
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Jahn T, Sindhu S, Gooch S, Seipel P, Lavori P, Leifheit E, Weinberg K. Direct interaction between Kit and the interleukin-7 receptor. Blood 2007; 110:1840-7. [PMID: 17554063 PMCID: PMC1976346 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2005-12-028019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In vivo analyses of thymopoiesis in mice defective in signaling through Kit and gammac or Kit and IL-7Ralpha demonstrate synergy and partial complementation of gammac or IL-7-mediated signaling by the Kit signaling pathway. Our molecular analysis in T-lymphoid cells as well as in nonhematopoietic cells shows that Kit and IL-7R signaling pathways directly interact. KL-mediated activation of Kit induced strong tyrosine phosphorylation of gammac and IL-7Ralpha in the absence of IL-7. Activated Kit formed a complex with either IL-7Ralpha or gammac, and tyrosine phosphorylation of both subunits occurred independently of Jak3, suggesting that gammac and IL-7Ralpha are each direct substrates of Kit. Kit activated Jak3 in an IL-7R-dependent manner. Moreover, deficient Stat5 activation of the Kit mutant YY567/569FF lacking intrinsic Src activation capacity was partially reconstituted in the presence of IL-7R and Jak3. Based on the molecular data, we propose a model of Kit-mediated functional activation of gammac-containing receptors such as IL-7R, similar to the interaction between Kit and Epo-R. Such indirect activation of the Jak-Stat pathway induced by the interaction between an RTK and type I cytokine receptor could be the underlying mechanism for a context-specific signaling repertoire of a pleiotropic RTK-like Kit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Jahn
- Division of Research Immunology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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43
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Haidl ID, Falk I, Nerz G, Eichmann K. Metalloproteinase-dependent control of thymocyte differentiation and proliferation. Scand J Immunol 2006; 64:280-6. [PMID: 16918697 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2006.01820.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The development of T cells in the thymus is dependent on interactions between thymocytes and thymic stromal cells, on stimulation by growth factors, and on the binding to and migration along extracellular matrix (ECM) components. As metalloproteinases (MP) are involved in processes such as growth factor release and ECM modelling, we assessed the effect of MP inhibitors on T-cell development using fetal thymic organ culture systems. MP inhibitors significantly reduced the numbers of CD4/CD8 double-positive (DP) and mature single-positive thymocytes generated, correlated with a reduced number of cell cycles between the double-negative (DN)3 and DP stages. The progression of early thymocyte progenitors through the DN1-4 stages of development was also severely affected, including incomplete upregulation of CD25, decreased DN3 cell numbers, reduced rearrangement of the T-cell receptor (TCR)-beta locus and expression of intracellular TCR-beta by fewer DN3 cells. When purified DN1 cells were utilized as donor cells in reaggregate thymic organ cultures, essentially no DP thymocytes were produced in the presence of MP inhibitors. The results suggest that MP inhibitors affect the differentiation of developing thymocytes before, and reduce proliferation after, pre-TCR-mediated selection.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Differentiation
- Cell Proliferation
- Cells, Cultured
- Gene Rearrangement
- Genes, T-Cell Receptor beta
- Metalloproteases/antagonists & inhibitors
- Metalloproteases/physiology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Organ Culture Techniques
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes/physiology
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/embryology
- Thymus Gland/physiology
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Affiliation(s)
- I D Haidl
- Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology, Stübeweg 51, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany
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Boehm T, Bleul CC. Thymus-homing precursors and the thymic microenvironment. Trends Immunol 2006; 27:477-84. [PMID: 16920024 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2006.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2006] [Revised: 07/18/2006] [Accepted: 08/09/2006] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
T cells develop in the thymus from precursors that are generated in the bone marrow and continuously seed the thymus through the blood. During evolution, 'outsourcing' the development of one blood lineage, namely the T-cell lineage, to an anatomically distinct hematopoietic organ required the generation of migratory precursors in the bone marrow, their homing to specialized, precursor-retaining thymic niches and their subsequent differentiation. Niche building and precursor homing are therefore intricately linked and should be viewed in context. In this review, we discuss recent findings on the developmental and genetic events that prepare the thymic epithelial microenvironment for its complex tasks, and highlight recent progress in the definition of the thymus-settling cells and the homing process that leads them into the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Boehm
- Department of Developmental Immunology, Max Planck-Institute of Immunobiology, Stuebeweg, 51 D-79108, Freiburg, Germany.
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45
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Hinton HJ, Clarke RG, Cantrell DA. Antigen receptor regulation of phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 pathways during thymocyte development. FEBS Lett 2006; 580:5845-50. [PMID: 17027005 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2006.09.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2006] [Accepted: 09/15/2006] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) is essential for T cell development but little is know about the stimuli that regulate PDK1 signaling in vivo. The thymus contains a heterogeneous mixture of cells at different stages of development making it difficult to use biochemical techniques to examine the activity of PDK1 pathways as thymocytes develop in situ. Herein, we use a single cell assay to quantify activation of the PDK1 target kinase ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) in different murine thymocyte subsets immediately ex vivo. This technique allows an assessment of S6K1 activation as thymocytes respond to developmental stimuli in vivo. These studies reveal that only a small percentage of thymocytes show evidence for activation of PDK1 mediated signaling in situ. The thymic subpopulations that contain active PDK1/S6K1 are those known to be responding to signaling by the pre T cell receptor and the mature alpha/beta T cell antigen receptor (TCR). Moreover, loss of antigen receptor signaling in T cell progenitors that cannot rearrange their TCR beta locus prevents in vivo activation of S6K1. The present data identifying antigen receptor signaling as a key activator of PDK1 mediated signaling afford a molecular explanation for the important role of this molecule in T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather J Hinton
- Division of Cell Biology and Immunology, Wellcome Trust Biocentre, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
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46
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David-Fung ES, Yui MA, Morales M, Wang H, Taghon T, Diamond RA, Rothenberg EV. Progression of regulatory gene expression states in fetal and adult pro-T-cell development. Immunol Rev 2006; 209:212-36. [PMID: 16448545 PMCID: PMC4157939 DOI: 10.1111/j.0105-2896.2006.00355.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Precursors entering the T-cell developmental pathway traverse a progression of states characterized by distinctive patterns of gene expression. Of particular interest are regulatory genes, which ultimately control the dwell time of cells in each state and establish the mechanisms that propel them forward to subsequent states. Under particular genetic and developmental circumstances, the transitions between these states occur with different timing, and environmental feedbacks may shift the steady-state accumulations of cells in each state. The fetal transit through pro-T-cell stages is faster than in the adult and subject to somewhat different genetic requirements. To explore causes of such variation, this review presents previously unpublished data on differentiation gene activation in pro-T cells of pre-T-cell receptor-deficient mutant mice and a quantitative comparison of the profiles of transcription factor gene expression in pro-T-cell subsets of fetal and adult wildtype mice. Against a background of consistent gene expression, several regulatory genes show marked differences between fetal and adult expression profiles, including those encoding two basic helix-loop-helix antagonist Id factors, the Ets family factor SpiB and the Notch target gene Deltex1. The results also reveal global differences in regulatory alterations triggered by the first T-cell receptor-dependent selection events in fetal and adult thymopoiesis.
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47
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Gregory GD, Robbie-Ryan M, Secor VH, Sabatino JJ, Brown MA. Mast cells are required for optimal autoreactive T cell responses in a murine model of multiple sclerosis. Eur J Immunol 2006; 35:3478-86. [PMID: 16285014 DOI: 10.1002/eji.200535271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Once considered to be of sole importance in allergy and parasitic infections, the role of mast cells in other pathologic and protective immune responses is becoming increasingly evident. We previously demonstrated that mast cells contribute to the severity of EAE, the rodent model of multiple sclerosis. Here we show that one mode of mast cell action is through effects on the autoreactive T cell response. Early indices of both peripheral CD4 and CD8 T cell activation, including IFN-gamma production and increases in CD44 and CD11a expression, are attenuated in mast cell-deficient (W/Wv) mice after myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein(35-55) priming when compared to WT animals. Reduced infiltrates of activated T cells in the central nervous system are also observed. Importantly, selective repletion of the mast cell compartment restores most T cell responses in the lymph nodes and the central nervous system, correlating with reconstitution of severe disease. The adoptive transfer of WT-derived encephalitogenic T cells results in significantly less severe disease in W/Wv recipients, indicating that mast cells also exert potent effects after the initial T cell response is generated. Our data provide the first in vivo evidence that mast cells can significantly influence T cell responses and suggest that mast cells exacerbate disease during both the inductive and effector phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory D Gregory
- Graduate Program in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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48
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Ciofani M, Zúñiga-Pflücker JC. A survival guide to early T cell development. Immunol Res 2006; 34:117-32. [PMID: 16760572 DOI: 10.1385/ir:34:2:117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/1999] [Revised: 11/30/1999] [Accepted: 11/30/1999] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The survival of immature T cell precursors is dependent on both thymus-derived extrinsic signals and self-autonomous pre-TCR-mediated signals. While the role of cytokines and the pre-TCR in promoting thymocyte survival has been well established, the relationship between pro- and anti-apoptotic signaling cascades remains poorly defined. Recent studies have established a link between cell survival and growth factor-mediated maintenance of cellular metabolism. In this regard, the Notch signaling pathway has emerged as more than an inducer of T lineage commitment and differentiation, but also as a potent trophic factor, promoting the survival and metabolic state of pre-T cells. In this review, we describe current concepts of the intracellular signaling pathways downstream of cell intrinsic and extrinsic factors that dictate survival versus death outcomes during early T cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ciofani
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, and Sunnybrook and Women's Research Institute, 2075 Bayview Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5 Canada
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49
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Abstract
The receptor tyrosine kinase c-Kit plays crucial roles in lymphocyte development but there is little information on the molecular circuitry enforcing c-Kit expression. In addition to growth factors, Notch signaling is essential for T cell development. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, evidence is provided for an interesting link between c-Kit and Notch. The primary 'test subjects' were a Pax5-deficient 'pro-B cell' line, blocked in its B cell potential, and its non-mutated counterpart, a bone marrow-derived early progenitor with lymphoid and myeloid potential (EPLM). Similar to common lymphoid progenitors, EPLM have a 'B cell-biased' potential, yet show multipotency under appropriate conditions. Following Notch signaling, c-Kit expression was very rapidly upregulated and the development into T cells was found to be c-Kit-dependent. In the absence of Notch signals, c-Kit expression remained low. Development into non-T cell fates (NK or myeloid) was found to be c-Kit-independent. It remains to be determined whether c-Kit is a 'direct' target of the Notch signal transduction pathway; however, these findings, together with those of others, strongly suggest that Notch can contribute to the proper cytokine receptor pattern required for commitment and expansion of early intrathymic progenitors.
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50
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Abstract
T cells developing in the adult thymus ultimately derive from haematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. Here, we summarize research into the identity of the haematopoietic progenitors that leave the bone marrow, migrate through the blood and settle in the thymus to generate T cells. Accumulating data indicate that various different bone-marrow progenitors are T-cell-lineage competent and might contribute to intrathymic T-cell development. Such developmental flexibility implies a mechanism of T-cell-lineage commitment that can operate on a range of T-cell-lineage-competent progenitors, and further indicates that only those T-cell-lineage-competent progenitors able to migrate to, and settle in, the thymus should be considered physiological T-cell progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash Bhandoola
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, 3400 Spruce Street, Pennsylvania 19104-6160, USA.
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