| First Author | Berg LJ | Year | 1989 |
| Journal | Cell | Volume | 58 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 1035-46 |
| PubMed ID | 2476238 | Mgi Jnum | J:93694 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3497920 | Doi | 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90502-3 |
| Citation | Berg LJ, et al. (1989) Antigen/MHC-specific T cells are preferentially exported from the thymus in the presence of their MHC ligand. Cell 58(6):1035-46 |
| abstractText | Transgenic mice expressing a T cell receptor heterodimer specific for a fragment of pigeon cytochrome c plus an MHC class II molecule (I-Ek) have been made. We find that H-2k alpha beta transgenic mice have an overall increase in the number of T cells and express a 10-fold higher fraction of cytochrome c-reactive cells than H-2b mice. Surface staining of thymocytes indicates that in H-2b mice, T cell development is arrested at an intermediate stage of differentiation (CD4+8+, CD310). Analyses of mice carrying these T cell receptor genes and MHC class II I-E alpha constructs indicate that his developmental block can be reversed in H-2b mice by I-E expression on cortical epithelial cells of the thymus. These data suggest that a direct T cell receptor-MHC interaction occurs in the thymus in the absence of nominal antigen and results in the enhanced export of T cells, consistent with the concept of 'positive selection'. |
