Control of the thymic medulla and its influence on αβT-cell development

The thymus is a primary lymphoid tissue that supports the generation of αβT cells. In this review, we describe the processes that give rise to the thymus medulla, a site that nurtures self-tolerant T-cell generation following positive selection events that take place in the cortex. To summarize the developmental pathways that generate medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTEC) from their immature progenitors, we describe work on both the initial emergence of the medulla during embryogenesis, and the maintenance of the medulla during postnatal stages. We also investigate the varying roles that receptors belonging to the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily have on thymus medulla development and formation, and highlight the impact that T-cell development has on thymus medulla formation. Finally, we examine the evidence that the thymic medulla plays an important role during the intrathymic generation of distinct αβT-cell subtypes. Collectively, these studies provide new insight into the development and functional importance of medullary microenvironments during self-tolerant T-cell production in the thymus.

A simple model system enabling human CD34(+) cells to undertake differentiation towards T cells

Background

Channelling the development of haematopoietic progenitor cells into T lymphocytes is dependent upon a series of extrinsic prompts whose temporal and spatial sequence is critical for a productive outcome. Simple models of human progenitor cells development depend in the main on the use of xenogeneic systems which may provide some limitations to development.

Methods and Findings

Here we provide evidence that a simple model system which utilises both human keratinocyte and fibroblast cell lines arrayed on a synthetic tantalum coated matrix provides a permissive environment for the development of human CD34⁺ haematopoietic cells into mature CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ T lymphocytes in the presence of Interleukin 7 (IL-7), Interleukin 15 (IL-15) and the Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt-3L). This system was used to compare the ability of CD34⁺ cells to produce mature thymocytes and showed that whilst these cells derived from cord blood were able to productively differentiate into thymocytes the system was not permissive for the development of CD34⁺ cells from adult peripheral blood.

Conclusions/Significance

Our study provides direct evidence for the capacity of human cord blood CD34⁺ cells to differentiate along the T lineage in a simple human model system. Productive commitment of the CD34⁺ cells to generate T cells was found to be dependent on a three-dimensional matrix which induced the up-regulation of the Notch delta-like ligand 4 (Dll-4) by epithelial cells.

RET/GFRα signals are dispensable for thymic T cell development in vivo

Identification of thymocyte regulators is a central issue in T cell biology. Interestingly, growing evidence indicates that common key molecules control neuronal and immune cell functions. The neurotrophic factor receptor RET mediates critical functions in foetal hematopoietic subsets, thus raising the possibility that RET-related molecules may also control T cell development. We show that Ret, Gfra1 and Gfra2 are abundantly expressed by foetal and adult immature DN thymocytes. Despite the developmentally regulated expression of these genes, analysis of foetal thymi from Gfra1, Gfra2 or Ret deficient embryos revealed that these molecules are dispensable for foetal T cell development. Furthermore, analysis of RET gain of function and Ret conditional knockout mice showed that RET is also unnecessary for adult thymopoiesis. Finally, competitive thymic reconstitution assays indicated that Ret deficient thymocytes maintained their differentiation fitness even in stringent developmental conditions. Thus, our data demonstrate that RET/GFRα signals are dispensable for thymic T cell development in vivo, indicating that pharmacological targeting of RET signalling in tumours is not likely to result in T cell production failure.