| First Author | Sinclair C | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | Sci Signal | Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 199 | Pages | ra77 |
| PubMed ID | 22087033 | Mgi Jnum | J:258166 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6142482 | Doi | 10.1126/scisignal.2002246 |
| Citation | Sinclair C, et al. (2011) The long-term survival potential of mature T lymphocytes is programmed during development in the thymus. Sci Signal 4(199):ra77 |
| abstractText | The homeostatic maintenance of normal numbers of mature T lymphocytes in the immune system depends on signaling from the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) and the interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R); however, it is unclear whether there is crosstalk between these two receptors. Here, we have identified a central role for TCR signaling during the development of T lymphocytes in the thymus in the determination of IL-7 function in mature T lymphocytes. We showed that Il7r expression in mature T cells was modulated by developmental TCR-dependent signals elicited during the process of positive selection in the thymus and that this mechanism was common to both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. Control of Il7r expression by the TCR was limited to thymocytes because neither the abundance nor the function of IL-7Ralpha was affected by TCR signaling in peripheral T cells. Finally, we showed that thymocytes without optimal IL-7Ralpha abundance failed to form part of the pool of mature T lymphocytes that patrol the periphery of normal hosts, highlighting the importance of this mechanism in shaping the repertoire of lymphocytes that make up this population. |
