| First Author | Akashi K | Year | 1996 |
| Journal | Immunity | Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 147-61 |
| PubMed ID | 8769478 | Mgi Jnum | J:35058 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:82509 | Doi | 10.1016/s1074-7613(00)80491-4 |
| Citation | Akashi K, et al. (1996) The c-kit+ maturation pathway in mouse thymic T cell development: lineages and selection. Immunity 5(2):147-61 |
| abstractText | Positive selection of T cells begins with TCR alpha beta lo thymic progenitors. Here, we show that the most efficient TCRlo progenitors are c-kit+ with intermediate levels of CD4 and CD8 (DPint). Positive selection of DPint TCRlo c-kit+ cells results in TCRmed CD69+ c-kit+ transitional intermediates that show increased TCRV beta frequencies to selecting superantigen (SAg) that are committed to the CD4 or CD8 pathway. The cells on the c-kit+ maturation pathway maintain Bcl-2 expression. Most DPint c-kit+ progenitors fail positive selection, and become DPhi c-kit- cells that lose Bcl-2 expression. Some DPhi c-kit blast cells can be salvaged to produce mature single-positive (SP) cells. DPint c-kit+ maturation to SP cells can occur in <12 hr in vitro on thymic stromal monolayers. |
