| First Author | Rodewald HR | Year | 1995 |
| Journal | Immunity | Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 313-9 |
| PubMed ID | 7552996 | Mgi Jnum | J:28959 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:76496 | Doi | 10.1016/1074-7613(95)90116-7 |
| Citation | Rodewald HR, et al. (1995) Intrathymically expressed c-kit ligand (stem cell factor) is a major factor driving expansion of very immature thymocytes in vivo. Immunity 3(3):313-9 |
| abstractText | To investigate the role of the receptor-type tyrosine kinase, c-kit and its ligand, stem cell factor (SCF) in T cell development, we analyzed c-kit (W/W) and SCF (SI/SI) deficient mice. We also engrafted wild-type or SCF-deficient fetal thymi onto wild-type recipient mice and analyzed the rate of proliferation by in vivo bromodeoxyuridine labeling. The results show that the most immature thymocyte compartment defined as CD3-CD4-CD8- is significantly reduced in SI/SI grafts and W/W thymi compared with wild-type counterparts. Also, the expansion rate of these immature thymocytes in SI/SI graft is reduced by -50%. These experiments provide direct evidence for an important role for c-kit-SCF interactions in expansion of very early thymocytes. |
