Immature human thymocytes can be driven to differentiate into nonlymphoid lineages by cytokines from thymic epithelial cells

Notch1 and IL-7 receptor signalling in early T-cell development and leukaemia

Notch receptors are master regulators of many aspects of development and tissue renewal in metazoans. Notch1 activation is essential for T-cell specification of bone marrow-derived multipotent progenitors that seed the thymus, and for proliferation and further progression of early thymocytes along the T-cell lineage. Deregulated activation of Notch1 significantly contributes to the generation of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL). In addition to Notch1 signals, survival and proliferation signals provided by the IL-7 receptor (IL-7R) are also required during thymopoiesis. Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling stage-specific survival and proliferation signals provided by Notch1 and IL-7R has recently been improved by the discovery that the IL-7R is a transcriptional target of Notch1. Thus, Notch1 controls T-cell development, in part by regulating the stage- and lineage-specific expression of IL-7R. The finding that induction of IL-7R expression downstream of Notch1 also occurs in T-ALL highlights the important contribution that deregulated IL-7R expression and function may have in this pathology. Confirming this notion, oncogenic IL7R gain-of-function mutations have recently been identified in childhood T-ALL. Here we discuss the fundamental role of Notch1 and IL-7R signalling pathways in physiological and pathological T-cell development in mice and men, highlighting their close molecular underpinnings.

BONE MARROW, THYMUS AND BLOOD: CHANGES ACROSS THE LIFESPAN

The aim of this review is to present age-related changes in the bone marrow and thymus and their effects in later life. Age-related hematologic changes are marked by a decline in marrow cellularity, increased risk of myeloproliferative disorders and anemia, and a decline in adaptive immunity. The exact mechanisms that produce these changes remain undefined. For the most part, the changes in function that are a consequence of aging alone rarely have meaningful clinical consequences. However, in the face of the stresses induced by other illnesses, the decreased physiologic reserve can slow or prevent an appropriate response to the stressors.

Human thymus contains multipotent progenitors with T/B lymphoid, myeloid, and erythroid lineage potential

It is a longstanding question which bone marrow-derived cell seeds the thymus and to what level this cell is committed to the T-cell lineage. We sought to elucidate this issue by examining gene expression, lineage potential, and self-renewal capacity of the 2 most immature subsets in the human thymus, namely CD34+ CD1a- and CD34+ CD1a+ thymocytes. DNA microarrays revealed the presence of several myeloid and erythroid transcripts in CD34+ CD1a- thymocytes but not in CD34+ CD1a+ thymocytes. Lineage potential of both subpopulations was assessed using in vitro colony assays, bone marrow stroma cultures, and in vivo transplantation into nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice. The CD34+ CD1a- subset contained progenitors with lymphoid (both T and B), myeloid, and erythroid lineage potential. Remarkably, development of CD34+ CD1a- thymocytes toward the T-cell lineage, as shown by T-cell receptor delta gene rearrangements, could be reversed into a myeloid-cell fate. In contrast, the CD34+ CD1a+ cells yielded only T-cell progenitors, demonstrating their irreversible commitment to the T-cell lineage. Both CD34+ CD1a- and CD34+ CD1a+ thymocytes failed to repopulate NOD/SCID mice. We conclude that the human thymus is seeded by multipotent progenitors with a much broader lineage potential than previously assumed. These cells resemble hematopoietic stem cells but, by analogy with murine thymocytes, apparently lack sufficient self-renewal capacity.

Development of alphabeta T cells in the human thymus

The thymus is the main producer of alphabeta T cells and is, therefore, crucial for a normal immune system. The intrathymic developmental pathway of human alphabeta T cells has now been delineated. The production of new T cells by the thymus decreases with age, and the thymus was thought to be redundant in adults once the peripheral T-cell pool has been formed early in life. However, recent work has shown that the thymus can function even at an advanced age. Research into the production of T cells in clinical settings that are associated with loss of T cells in the periphery has sparked renewed interest in the function of the human thymus.

Neuroendocrine influence on thymic haematopoiesis via the reticulo-epithelial cellular network

The thymus provides an optimal cellular and humoral microenvironment for a cell line committed differentiation of haematopoietic stem cells. The immigration process requires the secretion of at least one peptide, called thymotaxin, by cells of the reticulo-epithelial (RE) network of the thymic stromal cellular microenvironment. The thymic RE cells are functionally specialised based on their intrathymic location and this differentiation is modulated by various interaction signals of differentiating Thymocytes and other nonlymphatic, haematopoietic stem cells. The subcapsular, endocrine, RE cell layer is comprised of cells filled with periodic acid Shiff's-positive granules, which also express A2B5/TE4 cell surface antigens and MHC Class I (HLA A, B, C) molecules. Thymic nurse cells also produce thymosins beta 3 and beta 4 and display a neuroendocrine cell specific immunophenotype (IP): Thy-1+, A2B5+, TT+, TE4+, UJ13/A+, UJ127.11+, UJ167.11+, UJ181.4+ and presence of common leukocyte antigen (CLA+). Cortical RE cells express a surface antigen, gp200-MR6, which plays a significant role of thymocyte differentiation. Medullar RE cells display MHC Class II (HLA-DP, HLA-DQ, HLA-DR) molecule restriction. Thymic RE cells also produce numerous cytokines that are important in various stages of haematopoietic cell activation and differentiation. The co-existence of pituitary hormone and neuropeptide secretion, as well as the production of a number of interleukins and growth factors, and expression of receptors for all, by RE cells is an unique molecular biological phenomenon. Thymic neuroendocrine polypeptides are the source of self antigens presented by the MHC molecules to differentiating haematopoietic stem cells. On the level of individual RE cells, the numerous projections associated with a single cell, which engulf developing lymphocytes, nurturing and guiding them in their maturation, may differ in their hormone production and/or hormone receptor expression profile, thus allowing a single cell to be involved in distinct, separate steps of the T-cell and other haematopoietic cell maturation process. Thymic RE cells represent an important cellular and humoural network within the thymic microenvironment and are involved in the homeopathic regulation mechanisms of the multicellular organism. The intrathymic T-lymphocyte selection is a complex, multistep process, influenced by several functionally specialised RE cells and under immuno-neuroendocrine regulation control reflecting the dynamic changes of the mammalian organism.

Age-related thymic atrophy in the guinea pig

We have characterized age-related thymic atrophy in the guinea pig, including identification of antibodies that allow immunohistochemical assessment of thymopoiesis. Age-related thymic atrophy in guinea pigs more closely resembles what occurs in humans histologically and in thymus weight, cellularity, and percent functional area than do other rodent models. The guinea pig model is thus particularly well-suited to study the role of the thymic perivascular space in age-related thymic atrophy. We next tested the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with Vitamin C could prevent or delay age-related thymic atrophy. Thymus histology, weight, cellularity, and percent functional area did not differ at 12 months between groups that received 3, 30, or 150 mg Vitamin C daily from 4 months of age. Thus long-term supplementation with up to 130 mg/kg/day Vitamin C is insufficient to influence the time course and extent of age-related thymic atrophy in guinea pigs.

Thymic hormones in cancer diagnostics and treatment

The thymus is an endocrine organ. A unified, physiological concept of humoral regulation of the immune response emerged in the last three decades. The thymus is the primary major site of production of immunocompetent T-lymphocytes from their haematopoietic stem cells. The thymus provides a superior humoral microenvironment for the development of immunocompetent T-lymphocytes. Although yolk sac derived pre-T stem cells enter the thymus using a homing receptor, the immigration process requires also secretion of a peptide, called thymotaxin by the cells of the reticulo-epithelial (RE) network. This complex process requires direct cell to cell, receptor based interactions, as well as in situ paracrine information via the numerous cytokines and thymic hormones produced by the RE cells of thymic microenvironment. Thymic hormones induce in situ T-lymphocyte marker differentiation, expression and functions. These polypeptide hormones have also been shown by means of immunocytochemistry to localise in the RE cells of the thymic cellular microenvironment. Based on the complexity of the intrathymic maturation sequence of T-lymphocytes and the increasing numbers of T-lymphocyte subpopulations that are being identified, it would be surprising if a single thymic humoral factor could control all of the molecular steps and cell populations involved. Rather, it would appear that the control of intrathymic T-lymphocyte maturation and functional maturation involves a complex number of thymic-specific factors and other molecules that rigidly control the intermediary steps in the differentiation process. Thymosin fraction 5 (TF5) and its component polypeptides influence a variety of lymphocyte properties including cyclic nucleotide levels, migration inhibitory factor production, T-dependent antibody production and expression of certain surface maturation/differentiation markers. Recently, thymic hormones, mostly thymosins have been employed not only in neoplasms' early detection but also in clinical trials to strengthen the effects of immunomodulators in immunodeficiencies, autoimmune diseases and neoplastic malignancies. Combined chemoimmunotherapeutical antineoplastic treatment seems to be useful. Generally, haematopoietic toxicity of every chemotherapeutical clinical trial can be reduced significantly by the immunotherapy, compared to 50% in patients treated with chemotherapy alone.

Human thymic epithelial cells maintain long-term survival of clonogenic myeloid and erythroid progenitor cells in vitro

Precursor cells that migrate into the thymus are still multipotent. Therefore, thymic epithelial cells (TECs) may provide microenvironments not only for T-cell development, but also for maintenance of multipotent precursor cells until they undergo T-cell commitment. In the present study, we performed long-term cultures of CD34+ bone-marrow (BM) cells on TEC lines that were derived from cortical epithelial cells of post-natal thymus, to investigate whether human TECs could maintain long-term nonlymphoid haematopoiesis. Haematopoietic cells maintained in direct contact with established TEC lines were able to generate clonogenic progeny to both myeloid and erythroid cells for periods in excess of 5 weeks. Their abilities to support colony-forming units of granulocytes-macrophages (CFU-GM) and burst-forming units of erythroids (BFU-E) were almost equal to those of BM stromal cells. We observed similar results by using cloned TEC lines derived by limiting dilution, as well as those by using parental TEC lines. Colony-forming activities were maintained even when haematopoietic progenitor cells were physically separated from TEC lines and cultured on microporous membrane. These observations indicate that haematopoiesis maintained in TEC-contact long-term cultures may depend on soluble factors produced by TEC lines. Our results suggest that thymic cortical epithelial cells have the ability to support not only the differentiation of haematopoietic cells, but also long-term survival of clonogenic myeloid/erythroid progenitor cells.

Leukemia inhibitory factor, oncostatin M, IL-6, and stem cell factor mRNA expression in human thymus increases with age and is associated with thymic atrophy

The roles that thymus cytokines might play in regulating thymic atrophy are not known. Reversing thymic atrophy is important for immune reconstitution in adults. We have studied cytokine mRNA steady-state levels in 45 normal human (aged 3 days to 78 years) and 34 myasthenia gravis thymuses (aged 4 to 75 years) during aging, and correlated cytokine mRNA levels with thymic signal joint (sj) TCR delta excision circle (TREC) levels, a molecular marker for active thymopoiesis. LIF, oncostatin M (OSM), IL-6, M-CSF, and stem cell factor (SCF) mRNA were elevated in normal and myasthenia gravis-aged thymuses, and correlated with decreased levels of thymopoiesis, as determined by either decreased keratin-positive thymic epithelial space or decreased thymic sjTRECs. IL-7 is a key cytokine required during the early stages of thymocyte development. Interestingly, IL-7 mRNA expression did not fall with aging in either normal or myasthenia gravis thymuses. In vivo administration of LIF, OSM, IL-6, or SCF, but not M-CSF, i.p. to mice over 3 days induced thymic atrophy with loss of CD4+, CD8+ cortical thymocytes. Taken together, these data suggest a role for thymic cytokines in the process of thymic atrophy.

CD7 expression on CD34+ cells from chronic myeloid leukaemia in chronic phase

Thirty-seven patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukaemia and fourteen healthy controls have been evaluated for lineage differentiation with immunological markers on purified bone marrow CD34 positive cells by multiparameter flow cytometry. The myeloid-associated antigen CD33 and the stem cell factor receptor (CD117, c-kit) was expressed by 82.3% and 73.5% on CP-CML patients and by 57% and 57.5% on healthy donors, respectively (P < 0.005). CD34+/CD19+ or CD34+/CD10+ B-lymphoid cell population represented 9. 1% and 10.7% of the CD34+ cells in CML whereas in normal controls this subpopulation was expressed by 27.9% and 30.4% of the CD34+ cells, respectively (P< 0.005). The T-lineage associated markers (CD7 and CD2) were detected on a minor population of CD34+ BM cells of healthy controls (mean, 3.6% and 4.6%, respectively). The CD2 positive cells represented 1.5% of the CD34+ cells in CML patients. CP-CML patients co-expressed the CD7 antigen on a mean of 32.6% of the CD34+ BM cells. Moreover, 93% of this CD34/CD7 double positive subpopulation co-expressed CD33 antigen in CML patients. Co-expression of CD7 on CD34+ cells was induced to decrease significantly after short-term in vitro culture with the differentiation-inducing agent phorbol ester (PMA) and with a combination of cytokines (stem-cell factor, interleukin-3 and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor). In conclusion, a high co-expression of CD7 antigen is demonstrated on CD34+ cells of chronic phase-chronic myeloid leukaemia patients. The loss of CD7 marker following incubation with PMA and cytokines suggests that this antigen is expressed transiently in early myeloid leukaemic CML haemopoiesis.

Extensive phenotypic analysis of CD34 subsets in successive collections of mobilized peripheral blood progenitors

The transplantation of mobilized progenitor cells after high-dose chemotherapy shortens haemopoietic engraftment. CD34 cell subsets were examined in 20 consecutive mobilized progenitor cell collections obtained from patients with solid tumours that had not been previously treated. The analysis of CD34 cells was based on the expression of intracellular antigens, surface antigens including CD38, and cell size using multi-dimensional flow cytometry. We also correlated the numbers of stem cell subsets reinfused to haemopoietic recovery. The majority of CD34+ cells expressed CD13 and CD33. A significant proportion was cytoplasmic myeloperoxidase (cMPO) positive. CD34+ MPO+ cells increased significantly in late collections. MPO expression was related to cell size. Cells expressing CD13 also increased in late collections in parallel to CFU-GM count. Small subpopulations of CD34+ CD38+ were committed to B cells, T cells and erythroid cell lineages. A small population expressing the megakaryocytic antigen had a small size and were predominantly CD38-. A minor subpopulation expressed stem cells antigens. These were significantly higher in late collections (CD34+ Thy-1+ and CD34+ CD33-). After mobilization, patients received three cycles of intensive chemotherapy followed by reinfusion of mobilized progenitors (5.45 x 10(6)/kg CD34+ cells, range 3.4-11.88). The numbers of reinfused CD34 cells or the individual subsets did not influence recovery of leucocytes (9 d) or platelets (9 d). In conclusion, the numbers of stem cells and their subsets differed between collections and, in unpretreated patients receiving intensive chemotherapy, there was no delayed engraftment when sufficient numbers of stem cells were reinfused. The recovery period was short and not correlated to any stem cell subsets.

CD7 positive hematopoietic progenitors and acute myeloid leukemia and other minimally differentiated leukemia

Acute leukemias are believed to arise from unregulated proliferation of hematopoietic cells and loss of the ability to differentiate. Studies on the immunophenotypes of leukemic cells are very helpful for the understanding of antigen expression during normal hematopoiesis. CD7 antigen has until recently been considered to be a T-cell marker but has been found to be expressed by leukemic cells from some acute myeloid leukemia (CD7+ AML) and the normal putative counterparts of blasts from CD7+ AML can be found in human fetal livers. These double CD7 and myeloid antigen (CD13 and/or CD33) positive progenitors tend to lose their CD7 expression, while retaining their myeloid characteristics, after in vitro culture with the differentiation-inducing agent phorbol ester (TPA). This suggests that the cells are probably committed to the myeloid cell lineage and that CD7 is only transiently expressed in the early differentiation stage. On the other hand, there is a subset of CD7+ hematopoietic precursors which lack mature myeloid and T-cell antigens and have the potential to differentiate to both T-lymphoid and myeloid cells. These cells may in fact be the common myeloid-T lymphoid progenitors and represent the normal counterparts of acute undifferentiated leukemia or minimally differentiated T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Biologic and clinical significance of CD7 expression in acute myeloid leukemia

CD7 antigen, a T-cell lineage associated antigen, is expressed in a minority of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The biologic and clinical significance of this finding is not clearly established. In this retrospective study of patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia, we have identified CD7 expression and analyzed its association with markers expressed early in hemopoietic ontogeny and clinical parameters. Among 60 consecutive AML patients, we found six (10%) expressing CD7 on leukemic cells. There were five males and one female and the mean age was 59.6 years (age range: 32-76 years) with no demographic peculiarities. The FAB subtypes were: M0 (2), M1 (1), M2 (1), and M4 (2). CD7 expression was associated with immature antigens CD34, HLA-DR, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) and antigen receptor gene rearrangements (rearrangements of T-cell receptor gamma chain in 6/6 and immunoglobulin heavy chain in 2/6). Hepatomegaly was present in three and this was associated with splenomegaly with lymphadenopathy in one patient. Mediastinal or central nervous system involvement was absent. Complete remission was achieved in two patients with standard chemotherapy; one of these is in remission and alive (5 years later), while one died following relapse 9 months later. Three patients had significantly lower response to standard therapeutic regimen (two died during induction and one died 7 months later without ever achieving complete remission). One patient has been excluded in determining the prognostic significance of CD7 due to early death. Our results suggest origin of CD7+ AML from early hemopoietic precursors and indicate biologic aggressiveness in a significant proportion of patients. We suggest evaluation of CD7 in all patients with AML at the time of diagnosis in view of poor clinical outcome.

Thymocytes and cultured thymic epithelial cells express transcripts encoding alpha-3, alpha-5 and beta-4 subunits of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors: preferential transcription of the alpha-3 and beta-4 genes by immature CD4 + 8 + thymocytes

Thymic tissues express transcripts encoding the alpha-3, alpha-5 and beta-4 subunits of nicotinic neuronal acetylcholine receptors (AcChRs) suggesting that neuronal AcChRs similar to those expressed in ganglia are expressed in the thymus. Transcription occurs in both isolated thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells. RT-PCR analyses of thymocyte subsets indicate that immature CD4 + 8 + thymocytes express higher levels of the alpha-3 and beta-4 transcripts than more mature thymocytes. Compared to freshly isolated thymocytes, peripheral blood lymphocytes do not express alpha-3 and beta-4 AcChR subunit transcripts. Cultured thymocytes rapidly down-regulate transcription of the alpha-3 and beta-4 AcChR subunit genes by a process that is not reversed by stimulation with phytohemagglutinin and IL-2. Thus our results indicate that there is transcriptional regulation of neuronal AcChR subunit genes during the process of thymocyte maturation and that factors within the thymic microenvironment influence expression of the alpha-3 and beta-4 AcChR subunit genes by developing T cells.

Thymocyte development in vitro: implications for studies of ageing and thymic involution

Functional defects that accumulate in the T cell compartment are thought to be responsible for the pronounced immunodeficiency that develops during ageing, and reduced production of T cells by the thymus as it undergoes involution has been suggested to contribute to this phenomenon. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for thymic involution requires a thorough knowledge of how thymopoiesis is regulated. Obtaining such information is dependent upon the availability of defined experimental systems that permit analysis of thymopoiesis at the cellular and molecular levels. Recent advances have been made in the development of such human and murine in vitro systems, and their analysis has the potential to identify thymic microenvironmental signals that regulate T cell production. This information should, in turn, provide a basis for understanding changes in thymopoiesis that occur during ageing. The features of these culture systems are reviewed in this article, and their potential application to the study of T cell production during ageing is discussed.

Isolation of the most immature population of murine fetal thymocytes that includes progenitors capable of generating T, B, and myeloid cells

Thymus cells of murine fetuses at day 12 of gestation are exclusively of the CD3-CD4-CD8-CD44+CD25- phenotype, which is known as a hallmark of the most immature subset of thymus cells. In the present study, we show that day 12 fetal thymus (FT) cells express Fc gamma RII/ III (FcR) at a broad range of levels on their surface. The FcR+ FT cells seem to represent T lineage cells, because a large majority of them express the T lineage specific transcription factors TCF-1 and GATA-3 as well as CD3 epsilon in the cytoplasm. Also shown is that the FcR- population contains progenitors capable of developing into not only T cells but also B and myeloid cells, whereas FcR+ progenitors are mostly committed to the T lineage. These findings indicate that thymic T lineage cells express FcR on their surface at the earliest stage of differentiation, and thus FcR is a useful marker in isolating the most immature population of murine FT cells.

Laminin chains in the basement membranes of human thymus

In recent studies, the alpha 2 chain of laminin (Ln) has been suggested to be the only laminin alpha chain expressed in mouse and human thymus. We have now used chain-specific monoclonal antibodies and indirect immunofluorescence microscopy to study the expression of laminin chains in samples of foetal and 6-year-old human thymus. The subepithelial basement membrane of the capsule of foetal 16-to 18-week thymus presented a bright immunoreactivity for Ln alpha 1, alpha 3, beta 1, beta 3 and gamma 1 chains but not for alpha 2 chain, suggesting the expression of laminins-1 and-5. Most cortical and medullary epithelial cells, including Hassall's corpuscles, however, lacked laminin immunoreactivity. Immunoreactivity for Ln beta 2 chain was only seen in basal laminae of larger blood vessels. In thymic specimens from 6-year-old children, immunoreactivity for the laminin alpha 1, alpha 3, beta 1, beta 3 and gamma 1 chains was invariably found in subepithelial basement membrane of the capsule and that for laminin alpha 2 chain was now also distinct but more heterogeneous. Furthermore, the thymic subepithelial basement membrane of the capsule at all stages showed immunoreactivity for collagen type VII, forming the anchoring fibres in epithelial basement membranes. The subcapsular thymic epithelium also showed immunoreactivity for the BP 230 antigen and beta 4 integrin subunit, both components of hemidesmosomes. The present results show that the thymic subepithelial basement membrane of the capsule presents properties which are commonly seen in stratified and combined epithelia, and are compatible with suggestions of the antigenic similarity of thymic epithelial cells and keratinocytes.

LW/SO cell line: a tool for studying the phenotypical characterization and commitment of hematopoietic stem cells

We report our observations with the cell line LW/SO, which was recently derived from the bone marrow of a patient with acute myeloid leukemia. Based on the morphological and histochemical examination, the leukemic cells were classified primarily as FAB type M4. However, 2 years later, in relapse, the cells changed their morphology and were hence specified as FAB type M2 (slightly positive for acid phosphatase and Sudan black). The cells established have now been in culture for approximately 11 months and display nearly 100% CD4/5/7/15/25/71/120a,b at varying densities. Some of them spontaneously and reversibly become either CD34 + /38- or CD34 - /38+, yet the majority of the cells remain negative for both. All attempts to separate the cells with a distinct phenotype by limiting dilution or sorting through a flow cytometer failed repeatedly. The subsets, enriched up to 98% (regardless of their primary immunophenotype CD34 - / 38-, CD34 + /38-, or CD34 - /38+), soon displayed a phenotypical constellation similar to that before sorting. The ratio of CD34- to CD34+ seems to be influenced by the cell density: The greater the cell-to-cell contact, the lower the percentage of CD34-expressing cells. Some of the cells apparently differentiate into T-cell phenotype and acquire CD3 and T-cell receptor (TCR) alpha/beta molecules. While the quantity of CD34-expressing cells significantly increased in the presence of dexamethasone (10(-7) M), and some of them additionally acquired CD33 antigen, the percentage of CD3-positive cells was enhanced by adding 1% DMSO in medium. In contrast, cytokines such as IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-6, G-CSF, GM-CSF, or SCF (c-kit ligand) altered neither the proliferation capacity nor the phenotypical constellation of LW/SO cells (each tested alone). Although normal karyotype was obtained from the bone marrow cells, the LW/SO cells revealed a homogeneous chromosomal composition of 45, X, -X, der(9) inv(9) (p12q13) del(9) (p22?). These data suggested that LW/SO cells might be the leukemic counterpart of putative pre-CD34-positive progenitors. In order to substantiate this assumption, we analyzed the expression of other so-called T-cell markers on CD34+ cells from peripheral blood stem cell aphereses of five patients who later underwent high-dose chemotherapy and subsequent stem cell retransfusion. These data clearly revealed that a considerable amount of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors co-express CD2/4/(5)/(7)/25 at an early stage of differentiation, and support the notion that CD34-negative LW/SO cells with the surface markers CD4/5/7/25 are probably phenotypical representatives of pluripotent stem cell. Hence, not all CD34-negative populations with so-called T-cell surface markers should be considered T-cells; some may constitute the ancestor of CD34 antigen-expressing progenitors.

Early T lymphocyte progenitors

The earliest steps along the pathway leading to T cells in mice and humans are reviewed. These are the steps between the multipotent hemopoietic stem cell (HSC) and the fully committed precursors undergoing T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangement. At this level significant differences between adult and fetal lymphopoiesis have been demonstrated. The extent of lymphoid commitment of precursors within bone marrow is still unresolved, although HSCs clearly undergo developmental changes before migration to the thymus. Both multipotent and T-restricted precursors have now been isolated from fetal blood, suggesting both may seed the thymus. Within the thymus, several minute but discrete populations of T precursors precede the stage of TCR gene rearrangement. They include precursors that are not exclusively T-lineage committed, although they are distinct from HSCs. These precursors have a potential to form NK cells, B cells, dendritic cells, and sometimes other myeloid cells. Some factors that control early lymphoid development are discussed, including IL-7 and the Ikaros transcription factors. These will eventually help to clarify the process of T-lineage commitment.

Generation of human T lymphocytes from bone marrow CD34+ cells in vitro

Analysis of the events that regulate development of red blood cells or granulocytes has led to therapies altering clinical conditions associated with anemia or neutropenia. The development of therapeutic approaches to target conditions associated with lymphopenia, such as AIDS, has been thwarted by limited techniques for studying T-lymphocyte development. We describe an in vitro system in which human bone marrow CD34+ cells proliferate, acquire the expression of the lymphoid-specific RAG-2 gene and a broad repertoire of rearranged T-cell receptor genes, develop the ability to produce T cell-specific interleukin-2 and achieve a range of T-cell immunophenotypes. The cells also become susceptible to infection with the T-lymphotropic strain of human immunodeficiency virus-1, HIV-1IIIB. This culture system induces human T lymphopoiesis and may permit further analysis of the events regulating human T-lineage differentiation. It provides a preclinical model for screening stem cell gene therapies directed toward AIDS.

T cell differentiation/maturation of CD34+ stem cells from HIV-seropositive hemophiliacs in cultured thymic epithelial fragments

The clinical manifestations of AIDS are predominantly due to the cellular and humoral immune dysfunction caused by HIV infection, and thymic dysplasia caused by HIV infection probably contributes to the T cell lymphopenia. In the present study, T cell differentiation and/or maturation was assessed when enriched CD34+ stem cells (SCs or SC) purified from bone marrow of HIV-seropositive hemophiliacs were cocultured with allogeneic cultured thymic epithelial fragments (CTEFs). When HIV-seropositive hemophiliacs' enriched CD34+ SC were cocultured with allogeneic CTEFs, acquisition of the T cell phenotypic markers CD7, CD2, CD3, CD4, CD8 and T cell receptor for antigen (TCR) alpha beta was observed from cells harvested from the culture media peaking at approximately 28 days. Origin of the differentiated and matured T cells from the CD34+ SC was confirmed by labeling the SC with 5-(and -6)-(((4-chloromethyl)benzoyl)amino)tetra-methyl-rhodamine (CMTMR), a fluorescent cytoplasmic dye, and detecting fluorescence in the differentiated and matured T cell by flow cytometry. In one experiment, CMTMR labeling was omitted and double positive CD4+CD8+ and triple positive CD3+CD4+CD8+ thymocytes were identified. These studies confirmed that thymocyte differentiation/maturation from SC had occurred. In addition, T cells obtained from the CD34+ SC and CTEF cocultures proliferated to phytohemagglutinin stimulation maximally with stem cell donor antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and also proliferated to pooled B cells in a mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC). Furthermore, the T cells produced were tolerant to thymus donor B cell HLA antigens (p < 0.025); though there was slight MLC reactivity to autologous stem cell donor B cell HLA compared to thymic B cells (p < 0.025). These T cells demonstrated positive self-alloreactivity to stem cell HLA antigens in four of nine persons, though decreased compared to pool B cell alloantigens. Furthermore, in three experiments, responsiveness to stem cell donor B cells subsequently disappeared upon further duration of CD34+ SC-CTEF coculture. These studies suggested that CD34+ SC gave rise to accessory cells populating the thymus that contributed to HLA restriction. To further evaluate this hypothesis, two different donors of CD34+ SC were cultured simultaneously with thymic epithelial fragments and MLC reactivity was then examined toward APC of the stem cell donors. In these experiments, T cells responded to stimulation with HLA antigens of the pool B cells and did not respond to thymus donor B cells. In six of eight experiments, the chimeric SC-CTEF T cells did not respond to stimulation with B cells of either stem cell donor. These studies suggest that HLA restriction and tolerance were induced by cells of the stem cell donor as well as the thymic epithelial cell HLA antigens. In summary, these studies demonstrated that HIV-infected hemophiliac bone marrow-derived nonadherent CD34+ SC were capable of differentiating and/or maturing into T cells when cocultured in a normal allogeneic thymic environment. Furthermore, the T cells derived from derived CD34+ SC were capable of differentiating into T cells when cocultured in a normal allogeneic thymic environment, proliferated maximally with APCs from the stem cell donor and were tolerant of thymic HLA class II antigens, and to a lesser degree to stem cell donor B cell HLA antigens.

Haemopoietic progenitor cell differentiation: flow cytometric assessment in bone marrow and thymus

We have recently shown that expression of any of the lineage-associated molecules CD2, CD7, CD10, CD19 or CD33 does not ensure lineage-commitment of CD34+ progenitor cells. Further, normal progenitor cells and leukaemic blast cells have been shown to coexpress molecules associated with more than one haemopoietic lineage. Five-dimensional flow cytometric analysis of normal bone marrow cells was exploited to investigate the hypothesis of a developmental stage in haemopoiesis comprising CD34+ cells coexpressing CD2, CD5, CD7, CD10, CD19 and CD33 or any combination of these molecules. We report on a subpopulation of CD34+ bone marrow cells constituting < 5% of the CD34+ cells and characterized by extensive coexpression of several molecules associated with the B lymphoid, T lymphoid and myeloid lineages. There is every probability that some cells display the CD34+ CD2+ CD5+ CD7+ CD10+ CD19+ CD33+ phenotype. Studies on postnatal thymocytes suggest that this may be the phenotype or one of a few phenotypes of a candidate thymus-seeding progenitor cell population. Finally, our findings that CD34+ as well as CD34+ CD5+ thymocytes can be driven into non-T-lymphoid differentiation by cytokines, support the notion that the thymus is seeded by uncommitted progenitors.

CD34-positive early human thymocytes: T cell receptor and cytokine receptor gene expression

CD34, a stem cell marker, has been shown to be expressed on human CD3-CD4-CD8- (triple-negative; TN) thymocytes. Phenotypic and functional analyses suggest the following differentiation sequence: CD34+1-3-4-8(-)--> CD34+1+3-4 +/- 8(-)-->CD34-1+3-4+8(+/-)-->CD34-1++3-4+8+. In this report, we examined cytokine receptor gene expression on these subsets by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis (RT-PCR). We were able to detect interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R), c-kit and IL-2R gamma in all CD34+ thymocyte subsets, consistent with previous functional studies. We found IL-1R, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor-alpha and IL-4R transcripts in CD3- and CD34+ subsets. Secondly, we investigated T cell receptor (TCR)-delta and -beta gene rearrangement and transcription in CD34+ thymocytes. Our results show that a full-length TCR-delta transcript and the recombination activating genes RAG-1 and RAG-2 mRNA were already expressed in the CD34+1- subset. Mature V beta-containing TCR transcripts were also detected in the CD34+1+ subset, but not in the CD1- fraction. Furthermore, PCR analysis of D-J beta gene rearrangements showed that > or = 70% of CD34+1- cells are in a TCR beta germ-line configuration, although D-J beta recombination had already started in this population.

Presence of eosinophilic precursors in the human thymus: evidence for intra-thymic differentiation of cells in eosinophilic lineage

The distribution of myeloid cells in the human thymus was investigated by light and electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and/or flow cytometry. A series of 74 thymic samples, from newborn to 37 year old patients, were studied. By light microscopy, aggregates of mononuclear cells were frequently present in intralobular septa and outer medulla. Among those cells, eosinophilic precursors (promyelocyte, myelocytes and metamyelocytes) were readily identified. These immature granular cells were present in all pre-involutional thymi, and were particularly frequent in the thymi of patients who were younger than 5 years of age. The cells made up 30-50% of the total eosinophilic population and were frequently observed as a group of cells at various stages of differentiation, suggesting that they differentiate from pre-existing precursors in the thymus. These eosinophilic precursors were mostly located in the intralobular septa and fibroreticular network at the corticomedullary junction, while mature eosinophils were scattered throughout the thymus. Flow cytometric analyses, using stem cell-enriched preparations, showed that cells expressing CD33 or CD34 constituted on average 2.55% and 3.33% (0.09% and 0.12% of the total cells), respectively. CD33+/CD34+ coexpressors were also identified, and they constituted 0.36% of the analyzed cells (0.01% of the total cells). No statistical difference in the proportions of CD33+ and/or 34+ cells was noted between any age groups. It is concluded that eosinophilic precursors present in the thymus differentiate into cells in the eosinophilic lineage in particular areas such as the intralobular septa and fibroreticular network of the outer medulla in preinvolutional human thymi.

Early human T cell development: analysis of the human thymus at the time of initial entry of hematopoietic stem cells into the fetal thymic microenvironment

To determine events that transpire during the earliest stages of human T cell development, we have studied fetal tissues before (7 wk), during (8.2 wk), and after (9.5 wk to birth) colonization of the fetal thymic rudiment with hematopoietic stem cells. Calculation of the approximate volumes of the 7- and 8.2-wk thymuses revealed a 35-fold increase in thymic volumes during this time, with 7-wk thymus height of 160 microM and volume of 0.008 mm3, and 8.2-wk thymus height of 1044 microM and volume of 0.296 mm3. Human thymocytes in the 8.2-wk thymus were CD4+ CD8 alpha+ and cytoplasmic CD3 epsilon+ cCD3 delta+ CD8 beta- and CD3 zetta-. Only 5% of 8-wk thymocytes were T cell receptor (TCR)-beta+, < 0.1% were TCR-gamma+, and none reacted with monoclonal antibodies against TCR-delta. During the first 16 wk of gestation, we observed developmentally regulated expression of CD2 and CD8 beta (appearing at 9.5 wk), CD1a,b, and c molecules (CD1b, then CD1c, then CD1a), TCR molecules (TCR-beta, then TCR-delta), CD45RA and CD45RO isoforms, CD28 (10 wk), CD3 zeta (12-13 wk), and CD6 (12,75 wk). Whereas CD2 was not expressed at the time of initiation of thymic lymphopoiesis, a second CD58 ligand, CD48, was expressed at 8.2 wk, suggesting a role for CD48 early in thymic development. Taken together, these data define sequential phenotypic and morphologic changes that occur in human thymus coincident with thymus colonization by hematopoietic stem cells and provide insight into the molecules that are involved in the earliest stages of human T cell development.

Telomeric DNA in normal and leukemic blood cells

We studied telomeric DNA in leukemic cells as well as in normal T cells, B cells, monocytes, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells. No marked differences were observed in the sizes of the telomeric repeats in the various populations of normal blood cells obtained from donors in their twenties to sixties, and the telomere length ranged between 8.5 and 9.0 kb. The leukemic cells of 12 patients with acute leukemia (seven with myeloid and five with lymphoid leukemia) showed a variable reduction in the length of telomeric DNA, ranging from 2.7 to 6.4 kb. The average telomere length was 4.8 and 4.7 kb in myeloid and lymphoid leukemia, respectively, while the telomere length in peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from the same patients during complete remission was 8.5 and 7.9 kb, respectively. When the same Southern blots were hybridized with Alu or alphoid sequences, no marked changes in the sizes of the repetitive DNA sequences were observed, indicating that the DNA abnormality in the leukemic cells was specific to the telomere region. Investigation of telomeric DNA changes may be helpful in determining the biological properties of leukemic cells.

CD34-positive early stages of human T-cell differentiation

Thymus, the main organ for T lymphopoiesis, requires a permanent influx of progenitors from bone marrow (BM) or fetal liver. An essential question relating to early T-cell development is the identification of the progenitor population which actually homes to the thymus. Recent findings have shown that human multipotent progenitor/stem cells expressing CD34 have the capacity to differentiate into T cells when introduced into a thymic environment. More mature CD34+ bone marrow cells coexpressing CD7 and having a poor myeloid differentiation capacity can also efficiently differentiate into T cells in vitro. These lymphoid committed precursors might be the true thymic repopulating cells. In the thymus, cells with a similar CD34+7+ phenotype include the most primitive thymocyte precursors. CD34+ thymocytes have no myeloid differentiation potential, but may include precursors for natural killer (NK) cells. Interleukin-7 (IL7) is a potent in vitro growth factor for CD34+ thymocytes. Whereas current data do not support a crucial role for IL2, patients with IL2 receptor gamma chain (IL2R gamma) deficiency lack T- and NK cells. The recent demonstration that IL2R gamma is part of the receptor for IL7 strongly suggests that this cytokine plays an essential role in in vivo T lymphocyte and NK development.

Tracing the expression of CD7 and other antigens during T- and myeloid-cell differentiation in the human fetal liver and thymus

During the last decade, the function/s of the cell membrane CD7 antigen have been investigated in human mature T and NK cells, showing the direct involvement of this molecule in multiple effector functions related with activation, proliferation, production of cytokines and modification of adhesion properties. The CD7 glycoprotein is not only expressed by mature lymphoid cells, but also by early hematopoietic progenitors and several types of leukemias, suggesting a role of CD7 during hematopoiesis. However, the function of CD7 in the early stages of hematopoietic development has not yet been elucidated. CD7 has been classically considered the earliest T-cell specific marker. This assumption was based on data indicating the presence of CD45+CD7+CD3-CD4-CD8- cells in the human embryonic/fetal liver at the gestational age at which the thymic rudiment is colonized by T-cell progenitors. In the present article, we review recent results obtained by several groups concerning the expression of CD7 and various other cell surface antigens by T-, B- and myeloid-cell progenitors generated in the adult bone marrow and fetal liver. In addition, we present an hypothetical model of hematopoiesis in the fetal liver and thymus.

Characterization of human thymic epithelial cell surface antigens: phenotypic similarity of thymic epithelial cells to epidermal keratinocytes

Cellular interactions between developing thymocytes and cells of the thymic microenvironment are necessary for maturation of thymocytes into mature T cells. While much is known about the molecules on developing T cells that mediate these interactions, little is known about the surface molecules of human thymic epithelial (TE) cells. In this study, using a panel of 276 MAb including 255 MAb from the 5th International Workshop on Human Leukocyte Differentiation Antigens (HLDA-V), we have determined the expression of CD1 through CDw130 and other surface molecules on resting and IFN-gamma-activated cultured human TE cells and on resting epidermal keratinocytes (EK). We demonstrate the surface expression of 50 of the 161 molecules assayed for on TE cells, including a number of adhesion molecules, cytokine receptors, Apo-1, and MHC-encoded molecules. While activation of TE cells with IFN-gamma for 48 hr induced a greater than fivefold increase in the expression of four surface molecules (CD38, CD54, MHC class I, and MHC class II), it also induced a greater than 50% increase in the expression of 14 other surface molecules (CD12, CD29, CD40, CD44, CD47, CD49b, CD49c, CD49e, CD55, CD66, CD87, CD104, TE4, and STE3) and a decrease in the expression of three molecules (CDw65, CDw109, and STE2). In comparing the phenotype of TE cells to 83 other cell lines studied in HLDA-V, we found that TE cells were strikingly more similar to EK than to any of the other cell types tested.

The development of T and non-T cell lineages from CD34+ human thymic precursors can be traced by the differential expression of CD44

In addition to T-lineage cells, a small proportion of hematopoietic non-T cells are present in the human postnatal thymus. However, the origin of this minor non-T cell thymic compartment is presently unknown. In this study we have analyzed the developmental potential of the earliest human intrathymic precursors, characterized as CD34+ cells expressing intermediate levels of CD44. We show that these CD34+CD44int thymocytes cultured with interleukin 7 were able to develop simultaneously into both T- and non-T (monocytes and dendritic cells) -lineage cells. Both developmental pathways progress through a CD1+CD4+ intermediate stage, currently believed to be the immediate precursor of double positive thymocytes. However, separate progenitors for either T or non-T cells could be characterized within CD1+CD4+ thymocytes by their opposite expression of CD44. Downregulated levels of CD44 identified CD1+CD4+ T-lineage precursors, whereas CD44 upregulation occurred on CD1+CD4+ intermediates that later differentiated into non-T cells. Therefore, commitment of human early intrathymic precursors to either T or non-T cell lineages can be traced by the differential expression of the CD44 receptor.

Identification of a common T/natural killer cell progenitor in human fetal thymus

The phenotypic similarities between natural killer (NK) and T cells have led to the hypothesis that these distinctive lymphocyte subsets may be developmentally related and thus may share a common progenitor (Lanier, L. L., H. Spits, and J. H. Phillips, 1992. Immunol. Today. 13:392; Rodewald, H.-R., P. Moingeon, J. L. Lurich, C. Dosiou, P. Lopez, and E. L. Reinherz. 1992. Cell. 69:139). In this report, we have investigated the potential of human CD34+ triple negative thymocytes ([TN] CD3-, CD4-, CD8-) to generate both T cells and NK cells in murine fetal thymic organ cultures (mFTOC) and in vitro clonogenic assays. CD34+ TN thymocytes, the majority of which express prominent cytoplasmic CD3 epsilon (cytoCD3 epsilon) protein, can be divided into high (CD34Bright) and low (CD34Dim) surface expressing populations. CD34Bright TN thymocytes were capable of differentiating into T and NK cells when transferred into mFTOC, and demonstrated high NK cell clonogenic capabilities when cultured in interleukin (IL)-2, IL-7, and stem cell factor (SCF). Likewise, CD34Bright TN thymocyte clones after 5 d in culture were capable of generating NK and T cells when transferred into mFTOC but demonstrated clonogenic NK cell differentiation capabilities when maintained in culture with IL-2. CD34Dim TN thymocytes, however, possessed only T cell differentiation capabilities in mFTOC but were not expandable in clonogenic conditions containing IL-2, IL-7, and SCF. No significant differentiation of other cell lineage was detected in either mFTOC or in clonogenic assays from CD34+ TN thymocytes. These results represent the first definitive evidence of a common T/NK cell progenitor in the human fetal thymus and delineate the point in thymocyte differentiation where T and NK cells diverge.

Lymphoid and myeloid differentiation of fetal liver CD34+lineage- cells in human thymic organ culture

In this article, we report that the human fetal thymus contains CD34bright cells (< 0.01% of total thymocytes) with a phenotype that resembles that of multipotent hematopoietic progenitors in the fetal bone marrow. CD34bright thymocytes were CD33-/dull and were negative for CD38, CD2, and CD5 as well as for the lineage markers CD3, CD4, and CD8 (T cells), CD19 and CD20 (B cells), CD56 (NK cells), glycophorin (erythrocytes), and CD14 (monocytes). In addition, total CD34+ lineage negative (lin-) thymocytes contained a low number of primitive myeloid progenitor cells, thus suggesting that the different hematopoietic lineages present in the thymus may be derived from primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells seeding the thymus. To investigate whether the thymus is permissive for the development of non-T cells, human fetal organ culture (FTOC) assays were performed by microinjecting sorted CD34+lin- fetal liver cells into fragments of HLA-mismatched fetal thymus. Sequential phenotypic analysis of the FTOC-derived progeny of CD34+lin- cells indicated that the differentiation into T cells was preceded by a wave of myeloid differentiation into CD14+CD11b+CD4dull cells. Donor-derived B cells (CD19+CD20+) were also generated, which produced immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM) when cultured under appropriate conditions, as well as functional CD56+CD3- NK cells, which efficiently killed K562 target cells in cytotoxicity assays. These results demonstrate that the microinjection of fetal liver hematopoietic progenitors into fetal thymic organ fragments results in multilineage differentiation in vitro.

Constitutive activation of integrin alpha 4 beta 1 defines a unique stage of human thymocyte development

Our understanding of thymocyte development and of the positive and negative selection events involved in shaping the repertoire of mature T lymphocytes has been greatly facilitated by the use of transgenic and gene knockout animals. Much less is known about the factors that control the homing and population of the thymus by T cell precursors and the subsequent migration of developing thymocytes through the thymic architecture. As the integrins represent a candidate group of cell surface receptors that may regulate thymocyte development, we have analyzed the expression and function of alpha 4 beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 on human thymocytes. A major portion of double positive (CD4+ CD8+) human thymocytes express alpha 4 beta 1 in a constitutively active form and adhere to fibronectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1. alpha 4 beta 1 expression is similar on adherent and nonadherent populations, thus, activity reflects the receptor state and not simple expression. The adherent cells are immature, expressing high levels of CD4/CD8 and low levels of CD3 and CD69. In contrast, nonadherent cells possess the phenotype of thymocytes after positive selection, expressing intermediate levels of CD4 and/or CD8 and high levels of CD3 and CD69. The adherent population fails to respond to activation with anti-CD3 and fibronectin, whereas nonadherents exhibit an alpha 5 beta 1-dependent proliferation. Differential regulation of alpha 4 beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 receptors may provide a mechanism controlling cellular traffic, differentiation, and positive selection of thymocytes.

Phenotypic characteristics of acute megakaryocytic leukemia and transient abnormal myelopoiesis

By immunophenotyping and ultrastructural cytochemistry, the disorders involving megakaryocytic lineage cells have been clarified. These disorders are termed acute megakaryocytic leukemia (AMKL) and transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM). The characteristics of blasts in these disorders have been extensively investigated from various standpoints including cytochemistry, cytogenetics, ultrastructure and in vitro-colony differentiation. The target cells of AMKL and TAM are immature cells close to stem cells which are capable of differentiating into lineage cells such as megakaryocytes, erythrocytes and myeloid cells. Phenotypically, these blasts frequently express antigens appearing at an early stage in the hematopoietic differentiation pathway. They thus often emerge as mixed phenotypes as seen in mixed lineage leukemia of immature cell origin.

Human thymic epithelial cells: adhesion molecules and cytokine production

The ability to culture human thymic epithelial cells has greatly facilitated studies of direct cell-cell interaction between thymic epithelial cells and T lymphocytes in vitro, as well as cytokine production and regulation of cytokine production. In vitro, human thymic epithelial cells bind to T lymphocytes via two adhesion pathways: CD2-lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3 and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1-intercellular adhesion molecule-1. Cultured human thymic epithelial cells produce interleukins-1 alpha, -1 beta, -3, -6 and -8, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, macrophage colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, leukemia inhibitory factor and transforming growth factor-alpha. Production of thymic epithelial cell-derived cytokines is regulated by both adhesion molecules (lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3) and soluble factors via both autocrine (interleukin-1 alpha, transforming growth factor-alpha) and paracrine (interleukin-4, interferon-gamma) pathways. Transforming growth factor-alpha and epidermal growth factor regulate various cytokine mRNA at a post-transcriptional level by increasing cytokine mRNA stability.

Clinical relevance of acute mixed-lineage leukemias

Conflicting results have been reported in recent years concerning the incidence and prognostic relevance of acute mixed-lineage leukemias (AMLL). Among the high number of possible hybrid antigen combinations, it is important to discriminate those occurring with sufficient frequency to be of general clinical significance. In this review an approach to a classification based upon the hierarchical import of developmental antigens seen during hemopoietic differentiation is suggested. As far as the clinical relevance of AMLL is concerned, some hybrid patterns have been found to be associated with distinct characteristics in terms of clinical features at the time of presentation and poor response to treatment. For these particular types of leukemia, the time has probably arrived to design more specific therapeutic regimens.

Precursors of CD3+CD4+CD8+ cells in the human thymus are defined by expression of CD34. Delineation of early events in human thymic development

Studies of the most immature T cell progenitors in the human thymus have been hampered by the lack of markers and assays that define these cells. In this report we used a novel human fetal thymic organ culture system to determine the potential of T cell precursors isolated from human postnatal thymus, to differentiate into CD3+ thymocytes, and to investigate early stages of human T cell development. It was found that thymocytes that lack the markers CD3, CD4, and CD8 (triple negative [TN]) can differentiate in an allogeneic organotypic thymic culture. The capacity of TN thymocytes to differentiate was exclusively confined to the CD34+ population. CD34- TN thymocytes failed to differentiate in this system. In contrast, cloned lines of CD3- thymocytes could only be established from CD34- TN thymocytes. Five subsets of CD3- thymocytes were found with the following phenotype: CD1-TN, CD1+TN, CD1+CD4+CD8-, CD1+CD4+CD8 alpha+ beta-, and CD1+CD4+CD8 alpha beta+. These subpopulations expressed decreasing levels of CD34. The CD1-CD3- population expressed the highest levels of CD34 supporting the notion that this population is the most immature T cell precursor in the thymus, whereas the CD1+CD4+CD8 alpha+ beta+ which did not express CD34 seems to be the most mature of these CD3- populations. This notion is supported by the observations that CD34+ cells isolated from fetal liver, which differentiated into T cells in a FTOC, developed into CD3+ cells via CD1- and CD4+CD8- intermediates. Based on these data, we present a model of early stages in human intrathymic development.

T lymphocyte differentiation in vitro from adult human prethymic CD34+ bone marrow cells

Pluripotent lymphohematopoietic stem cells are probably confined to bone marrow cells expressing CD34 surface molecules. To investigate the capacity of adult human CD34+ bone marrow cells to differentiate along the T lymphoid lineage, we plated purified CD34+ cells from healthy adults in liquid culture on adherent thymic stromal cells prepared from HLA- or blood group-mismatched postnatal thymic tissue. We show that purified CD34+CD3-CD4-CD8- bone marrow cells contained progenitors with the ability to differentiate into CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes expressing surface (s)CD3 and T cell receptor alpha/beta in vitro. These progenitors were found in the CD34+CD2+sCD3-CD4-CD8-, CD34+CD7+sCD3-CD4-CD8-, and CD34+CD2+CD7+sCD3-CD4-CD8-, as well as in the CD34+CD2-sCD3-CD4-CD8-, CD34+CD7-sCD3-CD4-CD8-, and CD34+CD2-CD7-sCD3-CD4-CD8- subsets, indicating that T lymphocyte progenitors sensitive to signals mediated by thymic stroma in vitro are not restricted to CD34+ cells already coexpressing early T lymphocyte-associated markers. Finally, we show that T lymphopoiesis was enhanced by c-kit ligand.

Putative prethymic T cell precursors within the early human embryonic liver: a molecular and functional analysis

Hematopoietic cells present in the liver in early human fetal life were characterized by phenotypic analysis using a broad panel of monoclonal antibodies. Expression of very late antigen 4 and leukocyte function-associated antigen 3 cell adhesion receptors and 4F2 cell activation molecules was found in all fetal liver hematopoietic cells before acquisition of T cell-, B cell-, or myeloid-specific surface markers, and before the time of intrathymic colonization. Molecular studies showed that expression of the interleukin 2 receptor beta (IL-2R beta) also occurred in the embryonic liver at this early ontogenic stage. In contrast, no expression of IL-2R alpha or IL-2 transcripts was found in fetal liver cells, whereas transcription of the IL-4 gene was detected in a small fetal liver cell subset. Putative T cell precursors were identified among the hematopoietic fetal liver cells by the expression of genes encoding the gamma, delta, epsilon, and zeta invariant chains of the CD3-T cell receptor (TCR) complex. However, no transcription of the polymorphic alpha and beta TCR genes was detected. Functional in vitro assays further demonstrated that fetal liver hematopoietic cells from those early embryos were capable of proliferating in response to T cell growth factors, including IL-4 and IL-2. However, whereas IL-4-induced proliferation paralleled the appearance in vitro of CD45+CD7-CD4dull cells expressing the CD14 myeloid antigen, as well as of CD34+ primitive hematopoietic progenitors, differentiation into CD45+CD7+CD8+CD3- immature T cells was observed when using IL-2. Moreover, coculture with thymic epithelial cell monolayers provided additional evidence that early fetal liver hematopoietic cells may include very primitive T cell precursors, which were able to differentiate in vitro into TCR alpha/beta+ mature T cells. Therefore, our results indicate that, after triggering of the T cell-specific maturation program in primitive fetal liver hematopoietic progenitors, specific signals provided intrathymically by epithelial cells may fulfill the requirements to drive terminal differentiation of prethymically committed T cell precursors.

Biological characteristics of CD7 positive acute myelogenous leukaemia

We studied the biological characteristics of CD7+ acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML). We diagnosed nine out of 88 consecutive AML cases as CD7+ AML based on myeloperoxidase positivity and surface antigen expression. In eight of these nine cases more than 20% of leukaemic blasts were found to coexpress both CD7 and a myeloid-associated antigen, CD33, by a two-colour flow-cytometric assay, while in the remaining case more than 90% of blasts were positive for CD7 and myeloperoxidase. CD7+ AML was most frequently observed in M1 among AML subtypes according to the FAB classification. An early stage-specific antigen, CD34 was also expressed on leukaemic blasts from eight of these nine cases. Neither the T-cell receptor (TcR)-beta nor the TcR-gamma gene was clonally rearranged in any of the cases. We then studied the proliferative responses to stimulation by various growth factors. Among interleukin-3 (IL-3), granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF), IL-3 showed the strongest stimulatory effect on DNA synthesis and leukaemic blast colony formation in 8/9 and 6/8 CD7+ AML cases examined, respectively. On the other hand, the strongest stimulatory effect exerted by IL-3 on blast colony formation was observed in only six out of the 33 CD7- AML cases examined. Furthermore, CD7+ AML blasts could proliferate in response to stem cell factor (SCF); SCF alone showed stimulatory effects on blast colony formation (7/8 cases), and in 5/7 SCF-responding cases, stimulatory effects of SCF were more potent than those of IL-3. In addition, SCF enhanced blast colony formation synergistically with IL-3 in four of these seven cases. These data suggest that progenitor cells of CD7+ AML may possess the biological properties characteristic of immature haematopoietic stem cells.

Lymphoid lineage-associated features in acute myeloid leukaemia: phenotypic and genotypic correlations

This study is intended to establish biological correlation between the expression of lymphoid associated features in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). In 62 AML patients, predominantly enrolled on Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) treatment protocols, in whom immunoglobulin (Ig) as well as T-cell receptor beta chain (TCR-beta) gene rearrangement analyses had been performed, morphology, cytochemistry, antigen profile and karyotype were reviewed retrospectively. Nuclear reactivity with anti-TdT antibody was demonstrated in 34 patients (55%) and confirmed by ribonuclease protection assay in all patients tested. Five TdT-protein negative patients were TdT-transcript positive. Lymphoid antigens (lyA) were detected in 24 of 51 cases tested (47%) with B-cell antigens (CD19, CD10) being restricted to TdT+ AML (P = 0.03). Only two patients had Ig heavy, none had Ig light chain or TCR-beta gene rearrangements. Although both patients with rearranged Ig loci were TdT+, either by protein or RNA analysis, the low incidence of such rearrangement within the TdT+ AML group (6%) argues against a significant association between the presence of TdT and crosslineage Ig gene rearrangements in AML. While FAB-diagnoses did not differ between TdT+ and TdT- or lyA+ and lyA- AML, particular immunophenotypic features correlated with TdT positively, e.g. the presence of early antigens, CD34 and HLA-DR, and the absence of the more mature myelo-monocytic antigens, CDw65 and CD14. Certain cytogenetic abnormalities were associated with TdT+ AML such as inv(16) (p13q22) or t(16;16) (p12;q22) (five patients; P = 0.03) and t(8;21) (q22;q22) (three patients). A greater number of TdT- than TdT+ AML patients had only normal karyotypes (P = 0.06). Neither immunophenotypic nor karyotypic correlations could be established for lyA+ AML.

The development of functionally responsive T cells

The work reviewed in this article separates T cell development into four phases. First is an expansion phase prior to TCR rearrangement, which appears to be correlated with programming of at least some response genes for inducibility. This phase can occur to some extent outside of the thymus. However, the profound T cell deficit of nude mice indicates that the thymus is by far the most potent site for inducing the expansion per se, even if other sites can induce some response acquisition. Second is a controlled phase of TCR gene rearrangement. The details of the regulatory mechanism that selects particular loci for rearrangement are still not known. It seems that the rearrangement of the TCR gamma loci in the gamma delta lineage may not always take place at a developmental stage strictly equivalent to the rearrangement of TCR beta in the alpha beta lineage, and it is not clear just how early the two lineages diverge. In the TCR alpha beta lineage, however, the final gene rearrangement events are accompanied by rapid proliferation and an interruption in cellular response gene inducibility. The loss of conventional responsiveness is probably caused by alterations at the level of signaling, and may be a manifestation of the physiological state that is a precondition for selection. Third is the complex process of selection. Whereas peripheral T cells can undergo forms of positive selection (by antigen-driven clonal expansion) and negative selection (by abortive stimulation leading to anergy or death), neither is exactly the same phenomenon that occurs in the thymic cortex. Negative selection in the cortex appears to be a suicidal inversion of antigen responsiveness: instead of turning on IL-2 expression, the activated cell destroys its own chromatin. The genes that need to be induced for this response are not yet identified, but it is unquestionably a form of activation. It is interesting that in humans and rats, cortical thymocytes undergoing negative selection can still induce IL-2R alpha expression and even be rescued in vitro, if exogenous IL-2 is provided. Perhaps murine thymocytes are denied this form of rescue because they shut off IL-2R beta chain expression at an earlier stage or because they may be uncommonly Bcl-2 deficient (cf. Sentman et al., 1991; Strasser et al., 1991). Even so, medullary thymocytes remain at least partially susceptible to negative selection even as they continue to mature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Clonal analysis of peripheral T cell precursors in lpr mice

MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr mice develop massive lymphadenopathy characterized by expansion of an unusual population of T cells with the Thy 1+, CD3+, CD4-, CD8- (double negative) phenotype. The role these cells play in accelerating the autoimmune syndrome seen in these mice is unknown. In order to better understand the origin of the expanded population of T cells, we have derived a panel hybridomas from double negative lpr lymph node cells. Surprisingly, eleven of twelve hybridomas selected for the absence of surface CD4 and CD8 do not express CD3. Six of eleven confirmed to have inherited the MRL T cell receptor locus have rearrangement at that locus, suggesting commitment to a T cell lineage. Only hybridoma 2.4, which expresses CD3, responds to ConA, anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, and induces antibody production. The presence of CD3-, CD4-, CD8- T cells in the periphery of lpr mice confirms aberrant T cell development in these mice and suggests an intrinsic cell defect which is expressed early in lymphopoiesis.

Clinical significance of CD7-positive stem cell leukemia. A distinct subtype of mixed lineage leukemia

Ten leukemia cases with mixed phenotype were investigated in terms of clinical characteristics and cellular origin. Three patients were infants and six patients were older children. Six of them had a high leukocyte count and a mediastinal mass was found in three cases. All but one showed hepatosplenomegaly and/or lymphoadenopathy. In spite of intensive chemotherapy, most of them responded poorly. Cytochemical analysis of their leukemic cells revealed a low percentage of positivity for myeloperoxidase reactivity (less than 25%) in two cases and electron microscopic platelet peroxidase reactivity was found in one of three analyzed cases. Phenotypically, these cells all expressed CD7, and other T-lineage-associated, B-lineage-associated, and/or myeloid-associated antigens were also detected to some extent. In addition, three cases expressed CD41 and one case expressed CD56. The T-cell receptor (TCR) genes and immunoglobulin gene were in the germline configuration in seven cases. In three rearranged cases, two showed only the TCR-delta gene rearrangement, and one had both TCR-gamma and delta gene rearrangements. Cell culture studies with 12-0-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) revealed differentiation to the T-lineage in two cases and to a myeloid lineage in one case. Megakaryocytic differentiation was detected in two cases in culture without TPA. These results suggest that the cells from these cases arose from stem cells capable of both lymphoid and nonlymphoid differentiation. Although the cells were heterogeneous with regard to their potency of differentiation, they have similar clinical characteristics. Because of poor prognosis, it is important to identify this type of leukemia, and allogenic or autologous bone marrow transplantation should be considered.