| First Author | Hinterberger M | Year | 2010 |
| Journal | Nat Immunol | Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 512-9 |
| PubMed ID | 20431619 | Mgi Jnum | J:160615 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4454726 | Doi | 10.1038/ni.1874 |
| Citation | Hinterberger M, et al. (2010) Autonomous role of medullary thymic epithelial cells in central CD4(+) T cell tolerance. Nat Immunol 11(6):512-9 |
| abstractText | Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) serve an essential function in central tolerance by expressing peripheral-tissue antigens. These antigens may be transferred to and presented by dendritic cells (DCs). Therefore, it is unclear whether mTECs, in addition to being an antigen reservoir, also serve a mandatory function as antigen-presenting cells. Here we diminished major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II on mTECs through transgenic expression of a 'designer' microRNA specific for the MHC class II transactivator CIITA (called 'C2TA' here). This resulted in an enlarged polyclonal CD4(+) single-positive compartment and, among thymocytes specific for model antigens expressed in mTECs, enhanced selection of regulatory T cells (T(reg) cells) at the expense of deletion. Our data document an autonomous contribution of mTECs to both dominant and recessive mechanisms of CD4(+) T cell tolerance and support an avidity model of T(reg) cell development versus deletion. |
