Developmental Dissociation of Thymic Dendritic Cell and Thymocyte Lineages Revealed in Growth Factor Receptor Mutant Mice
Abstract
Thymocytes and thymic dendritic cell (DC) lineages develop simultaneously and may originate from a common intrathymic progenitor. Mice deficient for two growth factor receptor molecules [c-kit and the common cytokine receptor γ chain (γc)] lack all thymocytes including T cell progenitors. Despite this lack of pro-T cells, thymic DC compartments were identified in c-kit-γc- mice. Thus, c-kit- and γc-mediated signals are not essential to generate thymic DCs. In addition, pro-T cells do not appear to be obligatory progenitors of thymic DCs, because DC development is dissociated from the generation of thymocytes in these mice. Thymic DCs in c-kit-γc- mice are phenotypically and functionally normal. In contrast to wild-type mice, however, thymic DCs in c-kit-γc- and, notably, in RAG-2-deficient mice are CD8αneg/low, indicating that CD8α expression on thymic DCs is not independent of thymocytes developing beyond the "RAG-block."
- Publication:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- December 1999
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.96.26.15068
- Bibcode:
- 1999PNAS...9615068R