CD8+ T cells induce medullary thymic epithelium and CD4+CD8+CD25+ TCRbeta- thymocytes in SCID mice

Scand J Immunol. 2001 Nov;54(5):506-15. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3083.2001.00983.x.

Abstract

During T-cell development the transition in the thymus of CD4-CD8- double negative (DN) progenitor T cells into CD4+CD8+ double positive (DP) cells is dependent on the expression of a T-cell receptor (TCR)-beta-chain protein. In this study purified peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes from the C.B-17 strain of mice were adoptively transferred into syngeneic, neonatal SCID mice, where donor cells resided at constant numbers in thymus from 2 weeks until 10 weeks post cell transfer. In the recipient thymus the CD8+ donor cells outnumbered the CD4+ cells by a factor of three to five and both subsets contained a large fraction of activated cells. During the late phase of treatment, CD8+ T cells induced high numbers of DP thymocytes in the SCID mice, a process accompanied by the maturation of medullary epithelial cells. Such thymic development in the SCID mouse was inhibited by coresiding CD4+ donor T cells. These results indicate a regulatory role by mature peripheral T cells on medullary epithelial growth and thymocyte development in the treated SCID mice.

MeSH terms

  • Adoptive Transfer
  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Cell Movement
  • Epithelium / growth & development
  • Epithelium / immunology
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Mice
  • Mice, SCID
  • Phenotype
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
  • Thymus Gland / growth & development*
  • Thymus Gland / immunology*