| First Author | Gabor MJ | Year | 2001 |
| Journal | Immunol Cell Biol | Volume | 79 |
| Issue | 4 | Pages | 323-31 |
| PubMed ID | 11488978 | Mgi Jnum | J:110482 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3640276 | Doi | 10.1046/j.1440-1711.2001.01018.x |
| Citation | Gabor MJ, et al. (2001) Lymphotoxin controls alphaEbeta7-integrin expression by peripheral CD8+ T cells. Immunol Cell Biol 79(4):323-31 |
| abstractText | Lymphotoxin (LT)-alpha, a member of the TNF family, is recognized as an important mediator in different aspects of lymphoid organ development. Targeted disruption of this molecule resulted in a substantial reduction in the proportion of alphaEbeta7-integrin(high) CD8+ T cells detectable in peripheral lymphoid organs. This defect, however, was not observed on mature CD4-CD8+ thymocytes. To determine whether this was due to downregulation of beta7-integrin expression by peripheral CD8+ T cells or a failure of thymic emigration of CD8+ beta7-integrin(high) T cells, beta7-integrin was examined on recent thymic emigrants (RTE). When analysed within 16 h after leaving the thymus CD4-CD8+ RTE in both LT-alpha-/- and wild type (wt) mice remained beta7-integrin(high) and were indistinguishable. However, within 3-5 days, emigration loss of beta7-integrin became evident in LT-alpha-/- mice. Despite this loss, the proportion of thymically derived alphabetaTCR+ T-cell populations in the intestinal epithelium, an important target tissue of CD8+ alphaEbeta7-integrin(high) T cells, was increased in the absence of LT-alpha. In contrast, B cells were detectable only rarely in the intestinal tissue of LT-alpha-/- mice. The expression of E-Cadherin remained unchanged. These results indicate that a LT-alpha-dependent process maintains a high level of alphaEbeta7-integrin expression by peripheral CD8+ T cells, and with this control mechanism LT-alpha may help to regulate CD8+ T-cell numbers in the tissues. |
