| First Author | Nelson AJ | Year | 1996 |
| Journal | Eur J Immunol | Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 401-8 |
| PubMed ID | 8617310 | Mgi Jnum | J:31296 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:78799 | Doi | 10.1002/eji.1830260220 |
| Citation | Nelson AJ, et al. (1996) The murine homolog of human Ep-CAM, a homotypic adhesion molecule, is expressed by thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells. Eur J Immunol 26(2):401-8 |
| abstractText | In this report, we demonstrate that gp40, a molecule previously shown to be expressed by thymic epithelial cell lines in vitro and by thymic epithelial cells in vivo, is the murine homolog of human Ep-CAM, a calcium-independent homotypic adhesion molecule. gp40 is also expressed at low levels by thymocytes and peripheral T cells. In the adult thymus, gp40 expression was inversely related to the state of thymocyte maturation, with the highest levels associated with CD4-CD8- and CD4+CD8+ thymocyte populations. Ultrastructural immunohistochemistry revealed gp40 localization to areas of thymocyte/epithelial contact and demonstrated that gp40 is also expressed by thymic dendritic cells. During fetal development, thymocytes at days 14-16 of gestation expressed high levels of gp40. At later stages, the observed decline in the frequency of gp40+ cells and levels of expression correlated with the emergence of alpha beta+ thymocytes by day 18 of gestation. In short-term cultures, stimulation of unfractionated adult thymocytes with concanavalin A increased gp40 expression, particularly among CD3hi and CD3int thymocyte populations. This demonstration that Ep-CAM, initially considered to be expressed primarily by epithelial cells, is also expressed by thymocytes, T cells and antigen-presenting cells, raises the possibility that Ep-CAM may contribute to adhesive interactions between thymocytes and epithelial cells or dendritic cells, either in the context of thymocyte development or peripheral T cell trafficking and function. |
