Assessment of CD4 expression by early T precursor cells and by dendritic cells in the human thymus

Autor: Frank Sotzik, Rosenberg, Y., Boyd, A. W., Honeyman, M., Metcalf, D., Scollay, R., Wu, L., Shortman, K.
Rok vydání: 1994
Předmět:
Zdroj: Scopus-Elsevier
ISSN: 1550-6606
0022-1767
DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.152.7.3370
Popis: The adult mouse thymus contains a minute population of early lymphoid precursor cells that express moderate levels of CD4. We searched for a corresponding population of early T precursors in the infant human thymus, by first depleting the majority of more mature thymocytes, then using immunofluorescence and flow cytometry to analyze cells bearing a range of early T lineage markers. No discrete population of early T precursors expressing CD4 was observed, in contrast to the murine thymus. Most putative very early human thymocytes were CD4-8-3-1-2lo44+34+7hi class I MHChi class II MHC-. However, a distinct population of human thymic dendritic cells expressing high levels of CD4 was isolated. These were CD4hi8-3-1-2-44+34-7- class I MHChi class II MHChi, and lacked markers of B cells, NK cells, or myeloid cells. They were large cells that exhibited dendritic morphology after brief periods of culture, and they were efficient stimulators of allogeneic T cells. The biologic implications of CD4 expression by thymic dendritic cells are discussed.
Databáze: OpenAIRE