| First Author | Rafei M | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 187 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 3133-44 |
| PubMed ID | 21844388 | Mgi Jnum | J:179243 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5301497 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.1101097 |
| Citation | Rafei M, et al. (2011) Development and function of innate polyclonal TCRalphabeta+ CD8+ thymocytes. J Immunol 187(6):3133-44 |
| abstractText | Innate CD8 T cells are found in mutant mouse models, but whether they are produced in a normal thymus remains controversial. Using the RAG2p-GFP mouse model, we found that approximately 10% of TCRalphabeta(+) CD4(-)CD8(+) thymocytes were innate polyclonal T cells (GFP(+)CD44(hi)). Relative to conventional T cells, innate CD8 thymocytes displayed increased cell surface amounts of B7-H1, CD2, CD5, CD38, IL-2Rbeta, and IL-4Ralpha and downmodulation of TCRbeta. Moreover, they overexpressed several transcripts, including T-bet, Id3, Klf2, and, most of all, Eomes. Innate CD8 thymocytes were positively selected, mainly by nonhematopoietic MHCIa(+) cells. They rapidly produced high levels of IFN-gamma upon stimulation and readily proliferated in response to IL-2 and IL-4. Furthermore, low numbers of innate CD8 thymocytes were sufficient to help conventional CD8 T cells expand and secrete cytokine following Ag recognition. This helper effect depended on CD44-mediated interactions between innate and conventional CD8 T cells. We concluded that innate TCRalphabeta(+) CD8 T cells represent a sizeable proportion of normal thymocytes whose development and function differ in many ways from those of conventional CD8 T cells. |
