scholarly journals The γδ T Lymphocytes of the Perinatal Murine Thymus

1995 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle I. Zorbas ◽  
Roland Scollay

We have previously shown that the adult thymus contains three subsets of γδ T cells that can be defined by the expression of Thy-1 and heat-stable antigen (HSA). In this study, the number of cells in each of these thymic γδ populations was investigated at different stages throughout life. In adult mice, the populations stayed relatively constant, however, in contrast, there were major variations in them early in development. It was shown that only two of the γδ populations were present in the prenatal thymus, a major population of Thy-1+HSA-cells, and a smaller population of Thy-1+HSA-cells. However, after birth, most of the Thy-1+HSA-cells appear to loose the Thy-1 antigen, forming the third population of HSA-Thy-1-cells. The adult configuration of populations appeared to be established within the first week after birth. Therefore, whereas the γδ populations stayed relatively constant from this time point onwards, there were major variations early in development. Throughout life, most γδ thymocytes are CD4-CD8-, however, in the neonatal thymus, there are some CD4+and CD8+γδ thymocytes, and these are contained in the Thy-1+HSA-population.

1993 ◽  
Vol 178 (1) ◽  
pp. 309-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Leclercq ◽  
J Plum ◽  
D Nandi ◽  
M De Smedt ◽  
J P Allison

Whereas there is considerable information on the phenotypic and functional maturation of T cell receptor (TCR) alpha/beta thymocytes, comparatively little is known of the maturational processes that affect development of TCR-gamma/delta thymocytes. One class of gamma/delta T cells, those bearing the V gamma 3 gene product, are generated only during the early fetal stages of thymic development, and then migrate to the skin. Here we examine the intrathymic differentiation of these V gamma 3+ cells. The earliest V gamma 3 cells to appear in the thymus expressed low levels of TCR (V gamma 3low) and high levels of heat stable antigen (HSA). Over the next few days, V gamma 3+ thymocytes appeared which expressed high levels of TCR (V gamma 3high) and very low levels of HSA. The antigens CD5, CD45RB, and MEL14 were also differentially expressed on V gamma 3low versus V gamma 3high thymocytes, but the shift in expression was the opposite as compared with immature and mature TCR-alpha/beta thymocytes. Transfer experiments of sorted V gamma 3low/HSAhigh thymocytes to SCID thymic lobes showed that these cells were indeed the precursors of V gamma 3high/HSAlow thymocytes. The phenotype of the V gamma 3high thymocytes was similar to that of the postthymic V gamma 3+ cells found in the skin of adult mice. The differentiation of V gamma 3low in V gamma 3high thymocytes was also observed in fetal thymic organ culture. Addition of cyclosporin A (CsA) to these cultures had little effect on the appearance of V gamma 3low/HSAhigh cells, but blocked the appearance of V gamma 3high/HSAlow cells. These results show that, like alpha/beta T cells, V gamma 3+ thymocytes differentiate from TCRlow precursors to cells with a mature phenotype and that CsA inhibits this transition.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Joannou ◽  
D.P. Golec ◽  
H. Wang ◽  
L.M. Henao-Caviedes ◽  
J.F. May ◽  
...  

AbstractThe thymus is the site of both αβ and γδ-T cell development. After several unique waves of γδ-T cells are generated in, and exported from, the fetal/neonatal thymus, the adult thymus continues to produce a stream of γδ-T cells throughout life. One intriguing feature of γδ T cell development is the coordination of differentiation and acquisition of effector function within the fetal thymus, however, it is less clear whether this paradigm holds true in adult animals. To investigate the relationship between maturation and time since V(D)J recombination in adult-derived γδ-thymocytes, we used the Rag2pGFP model. Immature (CD24+) γδ-thymocytes expressed high levels of GFP while only a small minority of mature (CD24-) γδ-thymocytes were GFP+. Similarly, most GFP+ γδ-splenocytes were immature, while some were mature. Analysis of γδ-recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) indicated that most γδ-T cell RTEs were CD24+ and GFP+ and adoptive transfer experiments showed that immature γδ-thymocytes could be maintained in the periphery for at least 3 days over which time they matured. With respect to the mature γδ-thymocytes that were GFP-, parabiosis experiments demonstrated that mature γδ-T cells did not recirculate from the periphery. Instead, a population of mature γδ-thymocytes remained resident in the thymus for at least 60 days while mature γδ-thymocytes derived solely from adult hematopoiesis were mostly lost from the thymus within 60 days. Collectively, these data demonstrate two streams of actively developing γδ-T cells in adult mice: an immature subset that quickly leaves the thymus and matures in the periphery, and one that completes maturation within the thymus over a longer period of time. Furthermore, there is a fetal-derived and heterogeneous population of resident γδ-thymocytes of unknown functional importance.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 211
Author(s):  
Serena Meraviglia ◽  
Carmela La Mendola ◽  
Valentina Orlando ◽  
Francesco Scarpa ◽  
Giuseppe Cicero ◽  
...  

The potent anti-tumor activities of γδ T cells, their ability to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, and their strong cytolytic activity have prompted the development of protocols in which γδ agonists or ex vivo-expanded γδ cells are administered to tumor patients. γδ T cells can be selectively activated by either synthetic phosphoantigens or by drugs that enhance their accumulation into stressed cells as aminobisphosphonates, thus offering new avenues for the development of γδ T cell-based immunotherapies. The recent development of small drugs selectively activating Vγ9Vδ2 T lymphocytes, which upregulate the endogenous phosphoantigens, has enabled the investigators to design the experimental approaches of cancer immunotherapies; several ongoing phase I and II clinical trials are focused on the role of the direct bioactivity of drugs and of adoptive cell therapies involving phosphoantigen- or aminobisphosphonate-activated Vγ9Vδ2 T lymphocytes in humans. In this review, we focus on the recent advances in the activation/expansion of γδ T cells in vitro and in vivo that may represent a promising target for the design of novel and highly innovative immunotherapy in patients with hematologic malignancies.<br />


Hypertension ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Caillon ◽  
Pierre Paradis ◽  
Ernesto L Schiffrin

Objective: Both innate (monocyte/macrophages) and adaptive immune cells (T lymphocytes) have been shown to play a role in the development of vascular injury in hypertension. Recently, we demonstrated that a small subset of “innate-like” T lymphocytes, expressing the γ/δ T cell receptor (TCR) rather than the αβ TCR, plays a key role in hypertension and vascular injury. We demonstrated an increased number and activation (CD69 + ) of γδ T cells during the development of hypertension caused by angiotensin (Ang) II infusion, and that deficiency in γδ T cells prevented Ang II-induced hypertension, resistance artery endothelial dysfunction and spleen T-cell activation in mice. We hypothesized that γδ T cells mediate activation of other T cells in hypertension. Method and Results: Fourteen to 15-week old male C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) mice were infused with Ang II (490 ng/kg/min, SC) for 3, 7 and 14 days (n=5-7) and spleen T cell profile was determined by flow cytometry. A correlation was demonstrated between the frequency (FREQ) and the number (#) of activated CD69 + γδ T cells and CD4 + CD69 + T cells (FREQ: r=0.41, P <0.05 and #: r=0.58, P <0.001) and CD8 + CD69 + T cells (FREQ: r=0.36, P <0.05 and #: r=0.50, P <0.01). We also demonstrated a high correlation between the # of CD69 + γδ T cells expressing CD27, a marker of interferon-γ expressing cells and a member of the T-T interaction molecules, with CD4 + CD69 + (r=0.88, P <0.001) and CD8 + CD69 + (r=0.81, P <0.01) T cells after 7 days of Ang II infusion. Conclusion: This study demonstrated an association between CD27 + CD69 + γδ T cells and activated T cells. These results suggest that γδ T cells drive activation of other T cells in Ang II-induced hypertension. Targeting γδ T cells may contribute to reduce inflammation in hypertension.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 6165-6171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley Tam ◽  
Donald P. King ◽  
Blaine L. Beaman

ABSTRACT Previous studies have demonstrated that γδ T lymphocytes are important for host resistance to pulmonary infection of the murine lung by log-phase cells of Nocardia asteroides. To study the role of γδ T cells in nocardial interactions in the murine lung, C57BL/6J wild type and C57BL/6J-Tcrd (γδ T-cell knockout mice) were infected intranasally with log-phase cells of N. asteroidesGUH-2. At 3, 5, and 7 days after infection, the γδ T cells were quantified by multiparameter flow cytometry. At the same time, Gram and hematoxylin-eosin stains of paraffin sections were performed to monitor the host responses. The data showed that γδ T lymphocytes increased significantly within the lungs after intranasal infection, and the peak of this cellular increase occurred at 5 days. Furthermore, at this time, greater than 50% of the CD3 T-cell receptor (TCR)-positive (CD3+) cells were γδ TCR positive. Histological examination clearly showed divergent inflammatory responses in the lungs of wild-type mice compared to γδ T-cell knockout mice. The C57BL/6J-Tcrd mice were less capable of clearing the organism, and the polymorphonuclear leukocyte response lasted longer than in wild-type C57BL/6J mice. These results showed that γδ T cells were actively involved in modulating the innate host responses to murine pulmonary infection by N. asteroides.


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 852-852
Author(s):  
Peter Lang ◽  
Tobias Feuchtinger ◽  
Heiko-Manuel Teltschik ◽  
Wolfgang Schwinger ◽  
Patrick Schlegel ◽  
...  

Abstract Transplantation of haploidentical stem cells has become an accepted option for pediatric patients and adults with high risk malignancies who lack a matched related or unrelated donor. In recent years, the majority of pediatric transplant centers chose the CD34 positive selection of peripheral stem cells, which allowed minimizing GvHD by effective reduction of T cells in the graft. However, infectious complications caused by delayed immune recovery were a major reason for transplant related mortality (TRM). In order to improve the immune recovery, we have established a new T-cell depletion method which removes αβ+ T-lymphocytes via a biotinylated anti-TcRαβ antibody followed by an anti-biotin antibody conjugated to magnetic microbeads while retaining γδ+ T-lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells and other cells in the graft. In addition, CD19+ B-lymphocytes were concomitantly depleted for the prevention of post-transplant EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disease. Immune recovery was retrospectively analyzed in a cohort of 41 patients with acute leukemia, MDS and non-malignant diseases, who received αβ T and B cell depleted allografts from haploidentical family donors. Conditioning regimens consisted of fludarabine or clofarabine, thiotepa, melphalan and serotherapy with OKT3 or ATG-Fresenius®. Graft manipulation was carried out with anti TCRαβ and anti CD19 antibodies and immunomagnetic microbeads. γδ T cells and NK cells remained in the grafts. Primary engraftment occurred in 88%, acute graft versus host disease (aGvHD) grade II and III-IV occurred in 10% and 15%. Immune recovery data were available in 26 patients and comparable after OKT3 (n=7) or ATG-F® (n=19). Median time to reach > 100 CD3+/µl, > 200 CD19+ cells/µl and > 200 CD56+ cells/µl for the whole group was 13, 127 and 12.5 days. Compared to a historical control group of patients with CD34 positive selected grafts, significantly higher cell numbers were found for CD3+ at days +30 and +90 (267 vs. 27 and 397 vs. 163 cells/µl), for CD3+4+ at day +30 (58 vs. 11 cells/µl) and for CD56+ at day +14 (622 vs. 27 cells/µl). The clinical impact of this accelerated immune recovery will be evaluated in an ongoing prospective multi-center trial. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2005 ◽  
Vol 202 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamel Benlagha ◽  
Datsen G. Wei ◽  
Joel Veiga ◽  
Luc Teyton ◽  
Albert Bendelac

Upon reaching the mature heat stable antigen (HSA)low thymic developmental stage, CD1d-restricted Vα14-Jα18 thymocytes undergo a well-characterized sequence of expansion and differentiation steps that lead to the peripheral interleukin-4/interferon-γ–producing NKT phenotype. However, their more immature HSAhigh precursors have remained elusive, and it has been difficult to determine unambiguously whether NKT cells originate from a CD4+CD8+ double-positive (DP) stage, and when the CD4+ and CD4−CD8− double-negative (DN) NKT subsets are formed. Here, we have used a CD1d tetramer-based enrichment strategy to physically identify HSAhigh precursors in thymuses of newborn mice, including an elusive DPlow stage and a CD4+ stage, which were present at a frequency of ∼10−6. These HSAhigh DP and CD4+ stages appeared to be nondividing, and already exhibited the same Vβ8 bias that characterizes mature NKT cells. This implied that the massive expansion of NKT cells is separated temporally from positive selection, but faithfully amplifies the selected TCR repertoire. Furthermore, we found that, unlike the DN γδ T cells, the DN NKT cells did not originate from a pTα-independent pathway bypassing the DP stage, but instead were produced during a short window of time from the conversion of a fraction of HSAlow NK1.1neg CD4 cells. These findings identify the HSAhigh CD4+ stage as a potential branchpoint between NKT and conventional T lineages and between the CD4 and DN NKT sublineages.


1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Mathur ◽  
B.S. Michalowicz

The adaptive immune system consists of humoral and cell-mediated immunity. T-lymphocytes are the key components of cell-mediated immunity. CD4+ helper T-lymphocytes facilitate B-cells to differentiate and produce specific antibodies, whereas CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocytes kill virally infected cells. Periodontal diseases have been associated with a variety of imbalances in the regulation of immune responses. Changes in the ratios of peripheral blood CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes, depressed proliferative responses of peripheral blood lymphocytes, and increased frequency of CD45RO+ memory T-lymphocytes in diseased tissues have been reported in individuals with various forms of periodontal disease. While some studies have shown an increased frequency of γδ+ T-cells in periodontal lesions, the role of γδ+ T-cells in periodontal disease remains controversial. The ability of putative periodontopathic bacteria selectively to stimulate certain V(3-expressing T-cells is intriguing and could determine whether a CD4+ Th I or a CD4+ Th2 cell response is elicited. The prominence of a particular subset of helper T-cells within the periodontal lesion could be a reflection of the stage and activity of the disease, or the types of bacteria present. Regardless, longitudinal studies of the involvement of T-cell subsets and cytokines in periodontal disease are clearly needed.


2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 7092-7092
Author(s):  
M. S. Kaufman ◽  
N. Driscoll ◽  
C. Johnson ◽  
A. Caramanica ◽  
D. Janson ◽  
...  

7092 Background: We are conducting a pilot, exploratory study of the potential value of alemtuzumab(alem) in maintenance therapy of previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients(pts) after they have achieved stable disease or partial remission with chemo or chemo-immunotherapy. We present the results of serially monitored CD19+ (B)lymphocytes and CD4+ (T) lymphocytes on eight evaluable patients. Methods: 30mg doses of alem were administered SC to all patients at the following schedule: wkly for 8 doses (8 wks), followed by q2 wks for 8 doses(16 wks), followed by q3 wks for 8 doses (24 wks). This schedule provides a total of 48 wks of maintenance treatment with alem. Patients received standard prophylaxis with sulfamethoxizole and acyclovir with regular CMV monitoring by quantitative PCR. Results: In the table we present data on the pattern of decrease in blood CD19+(B) cells and CD4+ (T) cells on eight evaluable pts at different time points after starting alem maintenance. Because flow cytometry was not done on all pts at each time point, the number of pts contributing to the calculation of mean counts at each given time point is variable. CD19+(B) cells were markedly reduced to 37% of baseline consistently, from 8 wks onward. CD4+(T) cells, on the other hand, were consistently higher than 50% of the baseline after 8 wks. No opportunistic infections were seen in any pt and treatment was well tolerated. Conclusion: These results from a single institution based pilot study demonstrate that alem used in maintenance schedule is effective in keeping the blood levels of CD19+(B) cells extremely low without concordant suppression of CD4+(T) lymphocytes. No significant financial relationships to disclose. [Table: see text]


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