Skip to main content

Development of T Lymphocytes Within the Thymus and Within Thymic Nurse Cells

  • Conference paper
Specificity and Function of Clonally Developing T Cells

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 126))

Abstract

Any detailed study of T-cell development within the thymus requires, as a first step, the ability of distinguish the subpopulations of lymphoid cells which may be steps along a developmental pathway. About 95% of adult murine thymic lymphocytes can be assigned to one of four discrete subpopulations as summarized in Table 1. These major subpopulations, and many of their surface markers, have been recognized for some time, and the recent application of multiparameter flow cytometric analysis (Scollay and Shortman 1983) has merely served to emphasize how clear cut this four-way division can be. This subdivision is obtained as follows.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Andrews P, Boyd R (1985) The murine thymic nurse cell: an isolated thymic microenvironment. Eur J Immunol 15: 36–42

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Andrews P, Shortman K, Scollay R, Potworowski EF, Kruisbeek AM, Goldstein G, Trainin N, Bach J-F (1985) Thymic hormones do not induce proliferative ability or cytolytic function in PNA+ cortical thymocytes. Cell Immunol 91: 455–466

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Borum K (1973) Cell kinetics in mouse thymus studied by simultaneous use of 3H-thymidine and colchicine. Cell Tissue Kinet 6: 545–552

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ceredig R, Glasebrook AL, MacDonald HR (1982) Phenotypic and functional properties of murine thymocytes. I. Precursors of cytolytic T lymphocytes and interleukin-2 producing cells are con¬tained within a subpopulation of “mature” thymocytes as analysed by monoclonal antibodies and flow microfluorometry. J Exp Med 155: 358–379

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ceredig R, Dialynas DP, Fitch FW, MacDonald HR (1983a) Precursors of T-cell growth factor pro¬ducing cells in the thymus: ontogeny, frequency and quantitative recovery in a subpopulation of phenotypically mature thymocytes defined by monoclonal antibody GK-1.5. J Exp Med 158: 1654–1671

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ceredig R, Sekaly RP, MacDonald HR (1983b) Differentiation in vitro of Lyt-2+ thymocytes from embryonic Lyt-2b precursors. Nature 303: 248 - 250

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen W-F, Scollay R, Shortman K (1982) The functional capacity of thymus subpopulations: limit- dilution analysis of all precursors of cytotoxic lymphocytes and of all T cells capable of prolifera¬tion in subpopulations separated by the use of peanut agglutinin. J Immunol 129: 18–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen W-F, Scollay R, Clark-Lewis I, Shortman K (1983a) The size of functional T-lymphocyte pools within thymic medullary and cortical cell subsets. Thymus 5: 179–195

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen W-F, Scollay R, Shortman K (1983b) The Ly phenotype of functional medullary thymocytes. Thymus 5: 197–207

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dialynas DP, Wilde DB, Marrack P, Pierres A, Wall KA, Havran W, Otten G, Loken MR, Pierres M, Kappler J (1983) Characterization of the murine antigenic determinant, designated L3T4a, recognized by monoclonal antibody GK1-lt;265; expression on L3T4a by functional T cell clones appears to correlate primarily with class II MHC antigen-reactivity. Immunol Rev 74: 29–56

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Elliot EV (1973) A persistent lymphoid population in the thymus. Nature New Biol 242: 150–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Fathman CG, Small M, Herzenberg LA, Weissman IL (1975) Thymus cell maturation. II. Differ¬entiation of three “mature” subclasses in vivo. Cell Immunol 15: 109–128

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fink PJ, Weissman IL, Kaplan HS, Kyewski BA (1984) The immunocompetence of murine stromal cell-associated thymocytes. J Immunol 132: 2266–2272

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fowlkes B-J, Edison L, Mathieson B, Chused TM (1985) In: U. C. L. A. Symposium, Regulation of the immune system, (to be published) Irle C, Piguet P-F, Vassalli P (1978) In vitro maturation of immature thymocytes into immunocompetent T cells in the absence of direct thymic influence. J Exp Med 148:32–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Joel DD, Chanana AD, Cottier H, Cronkite EP, Laissue J A (1977) Fate of thymocytes: studies with 125I-iododeoxyuridine and 3H-thymidine in mice. Cell Tissue Kinet 10: 57–69

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kisielow P, von Boehmer H, Haas W (1982) Functional and phenotypic properties of subpopulations of murine thymocytes. I. The bulk of peanut agglutinin-positive Lyt-1, 2, 3 thymocytes lacks pre¬cursors of cytotoxic T lymphocytes responsive to interleukin 2 ( T cell growth factor ). Eur J Immunol 12: 463–467

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kyewski RA, Kaplan HS (1982) Lymphoepithelial interactions in the mouse thymus: phenotypic and kinetic studies on thymic nurse cells. J Immunol 128: 2287–2294

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McPhee D, Pye S, Shortman K (1979) The differentiation of Tlymphocytes. V. Evidence for intrathymic death of most thymocytes. Thymus 1: 151–161

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Metcalf D (1966) The nature and regulation of lymphopoiesis in normal and neoplastic thymus. In: Wolstenholme GWE, Porter R (eds) The thymus: experimental and clinical studies, CIBA Foun¬dation Symposium, Churchill, London, p. 242

    Google Scholar 

  • Naparstek Y, Holoshitz J, Eisenstein S, Reshef T, Rappaport S, Chemke J, Ben-Nun A, Cohen IR (1982) Effector T lymphocyte line cells migrate to the thymus and persist there. Nature 300: 262–264

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Owen JJT, Raff MC (1980) Studies on the differentiation of thymus-derived lymphocytes. J Exp Med 132: 1216–1232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raff MC (1971) Evidence for a subpopulation of mature lymphocytes within the mouse thymus. Nature New Biol 229: 182–183

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reichert RA, Gallatin WM, Butcher EC, Weissman IL (1984) A homing receptor-bearing cortical thymocyte subset: implications for thymus cell migration and the nature of cortisone-resistant thymocytes. Cell 38: 89–99

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reinherz EL, Kung PC, Goldstein G, Levey RH, Schlossman SF (1980) Discrete stages of human intrathymic differentiation. Analysis of normal thymocytes and leukemic lymphoblasts of T cell lineage. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 77: 1588–1592

    Google Scholar 

  • Scollay R (1982) Thymus cell migration: cells migrating from the thymus to peripheral lymphoid organs have a “mature” phenotype. J Immunol 128: 1566–1570

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scollay R (1984) The long-lived medullary thymocyte re-visited: precise quantitation of a very small subset. J Immunol 132:1085–1089 Scollay R, Shortman K (1983) Thymocyte subpopulations: an experimental review, including flow cytometric cross-correlations between the major murine thymocyte markers. Thymus 5: 245–295

    Google Scholar 

  • Scollay R, Shortman K (1985) Identification of early stages of T lymphocyte development in the thy¬mus cortex and medulla. J Immunol 134: 3632–3642

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scollay R, Kocken M, Butcher E, Weissman I (1978) Lyt markers and thymus cell migrants. Nature 276: 79–80

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scollay R, Butcher E, Weissman I (1980a) Thymus migration: quantitative studies on the rate of migration of cells from the thymus to the periphery in mice. Eur J Immunol 10: 210–218

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scollay R, Jacobs S, Jerabek L, Butcher E, Weissman IL (1980b) T cell maturation: thymocyte and thymus migrant subpopulations defined with monoclonal antibodies to MHC region antigens. J Immunol 124: 2845–2853

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scollay R, Bartlett P, Shortman K (1984a) T cell development in the adult murine thymus: Changes in the expression of the surface antigens Ly 2, L3T4 and B2A2 during development from early precursor cells to emigrants. Immunol Rev 82: 79

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scollay R, Wilson A, Shortman K (1984b) Thymus cell migration: analysis of thymus emigrants with markers that distinguish medullary thymocytes from peripheral T cells. J Immunol 132: 1089–1094

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scollay R, Chen W-F, Shortman K (1984c) The functional capabilities of cells leaving the thymus. J Immunol 132: 25–30

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shortman K, Jackson H (1974) The differentiation of T-lymphocytes. I. Proliferation kinetics and interrelationships of subpopulations of mouse thymus cells. Cell Immunol 12: 230–246

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shortman K, Mandel T, Andrews P, Scollay R (1985) Are any functionally mature cells of medullary phenotype located in the thymus cortex? Cell Immunol 93: 350–363

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vakharia DD (1983) Demonstration of keratin filaments in thymic nurse cells (TNC) and alloreactivity of TNC-T cell population. Thymus 5: 43–52

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vakharia DD, Mitchison NA (1984) Helper T cell activity demonstrated by thymic nurse cell T cells ( TNC-T ). Immunol 51: 269–273

    Google Scholar 

  • Weissman IL (1973) Thymus cell maturation. Studies on the origin of cortisone resistant thymic lymphocytes. J Exp Med 137: 504–510

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wekerle H, Ketelsen UP (1980) Thymic nurse cells - la bearing epithelium involved in T-lymphocyte differentiation. Nature 283: 402–404

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1986 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Shortman, K., Scollay, R., Andrews, P., Boyd, R. (1986). Development of T Lymphocytes Within the Thymus and Within Thymic Nurse Cells. In: Fleischer, B., Reimann, J., Wagner, H. (eds) Specificity and Function of Clonally Developing T Cells. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 126. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71152-7_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71152-7_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-71154-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-71152-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics