The Journal of Immunology, Vol 152, Issue 4 1509-1514, Copyright © 1994 by American Association of Immunologists

ARTICLES

Premature escape of double-positive thymocytes to the periphery of young mice. Possible role in autoimmunity

A Bonomo, PJ Kehn and EM Shevach
Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.

Thymectomy of 3-day-old mice induces organ-specific autoimmune disease. To define a relationship between the development of T cells early in the neonatal period and autoimmunity, we studied the thymus and peripheral lymphoid tissues of 3-day-old mice. Lymph nodes, but not spleens, of 3- to 4-day-old mice contained a significant number of thymus-derived CD4+CD8+ cells that are phenotypically similar to CD4+CD8+ thymocytes in their level of expression of CD3 and HSA. It is likely that the prematurely exported cells are the progenitors of autoreactive T cells because the lymph nodes from 3- to 4-day-old male, but not female, mice which express a transgenic TCR specific for the H- Y Ag contained a large number of CD4+CD8+Tg+ as well as CD4-CD8+Tg+ T cells. Thus, the neonatal thymus is capable of exporting immature T cells that in the absence of a thymus may differentiate into autoimmune effector cells.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Vianello, P. Kraft, Y. T. Mok, W. K. Hart, N. White, and M. C. Poznansky A CXCR4-Dependent Chemorepellent Signal Contributes to the Emigration of Mature Single-Positive CD4 Cells from the Fetal Thymus J. Immunol., October 15, 2005; 175(8): 5115 - 5125. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Nascimbeni, E.-C. Shin, L. Chiriboga, D. E. Kleiner, and B. Rehermann Peripheral CD4+CD8+ T cells are differentiated effector memory cells with antiviral functions Blood, July 15, 2004; 104(2): 478 - 486. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Bommireddy, V. Saxena, I. Ormsby, M. Yin, G. P. Boivin, G. F. Babcock, R. R. Singh, and T. Doetschman TGF-{beta}1 Regulates Lymphocyte Homeostasis by Preventing Activation and Subsequent Apoptosis of Peripheral Lymphocytes J. Immunol., May 1, 2003; 170(9): 4612 - 4622. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Bommireddy, I. Ormsby, M. Yin, G. P. Boivin, G. F. Babcock, and T. Doetschman TGF{beta}1 Inhibits Ca2+-Calcineurin-Mediated Activation in Thymocytes J. Immunol., April 1, 2003; 170(7): 3645 - 3652. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Jimenez, R. Sacedon, A. Vicente, C. Hernandez-Lopez, A. G. Zapata, and A. Varas Rat Peripheral CD4+CD8+ T Lymphocytes Are Partially Immunocompetent Thymus-Derived Cells That Undergo Post-Thymic Maturation to Become Functionally Mature CD4+ T Lymphocytes J. Immunol., May 15, 2002; 168(10): 5005 - 5013. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Y. Wu and I. Goldschneider Tolerance to Cyclosporin A-Induced Autologous Graft-Versus-Host Disease Is Mediated by a CD4+CD25+ Subset of Recent Thymic Emigrants J. Immunol., June 15, 2001; 166(12): 7158 - 7164. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Jubault, A. Penfornis, F. Schillo, B. Hoen, M. Izembart, J. Timsit, M. D. Kazatchkine, J. Gilquin, and J.-P. Viard Sequential Occurrence of Thyroid Autoantibodies and Graves' Disease after Immune Restoration in Severely Immunocompromised Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1-Infected Patients J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., November 1, 2000; 85(11): 4254 - 4257. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				W. Savino and M. Dardenne Neuroendocrine Control of Thymus Physiology Endocr. Rev., August 1, 2000; 21(4): 412 - 443. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Wen, F. S. Wong, J. Tang, N.-Y. Chen, M. Altieri, C. David, R. Flavell, and R. Sherwin In Vivo Evidence for the Contribution of Human Histocompatibility Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-DQ Molecules to the Development of Diabetes J. Exp. Med., January 3, 2000; 191(1): 97 - 104. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Antica and R. Scollay Development of T Lymphocytes at Extrathymic Sites J. Immunol., July 1, 1999; 163(1): 206 - 211. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. de La Selle, E. Gluckman, and M. Bruley-Rosset Graft-Versus-Host Disease and Graft-Versus-Leukemia Effect in Mice Grafted With Peripheral Newborn Blood Blood, November 15, 1998; 92(10): 3968 - 3975. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]