| First Author | Park JH | Year | 2010 |
| Journal | Nat Immunol | Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 257-64 |
| PubMed ID | 20118929 | Mgi Jnum | J:158504 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4438972 | Doi | 10.1038/ni.1840 |
| Citation | Park JH, et al. (2010) Signaling by intrathymic cytokines, not T cell antigen receptors, specifies CD8 lineage choice and promotes the differentiation of cytotoxic-lineage T cells. Nat Immunol 11(3):257-64 |
| abstractText | Immature CD4(+)CD8(+) (double-positive (DP)) thymocytes are signaled via T cell antigen receptors (TCRs) to undergo positive selection and become responsive to intrathymic cytokines such as interleukin 7 (IL-7). We report here that cytokine signaling is required for positively selected thymocytes to express the transcription factor Runx3, specify CD8 lineage choice and differentiate into cytotoxic-lineage T cells. In DP thymocytes genetically engineered to be cytokine responsive, IL-7 signaling induced TCR-unsignaled DP thymocytes to express Runx3 and to differentiate into mature CD8(+) T cells, completely circumventing positive selection. We conclude that TCR-mediated positive selection converts DP cells into cytokine-responsive thymocytes, but it is subsequent signaling by intrathymic cytokines that specifies CD8 lineage choice and promotes differentiation into cytotoxic-lineage T cells. |
