Development of CD8 alpha/beta + TCR alpha beta intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes in athymic nu/nu mice and participation in regional immune responses. |
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| Authors: | M Emoto Y Emoto and S H Kaufmann |
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| Institution: | Department of Immunology, University of Ulm, Germany. |
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| Abstract: | On the basis of the CD8 coreceptor expression, T-cell receptor (TCR)alpha beta-bearing intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (i-IEL) segregate into two populations. The CD8 alpha alpha + TCR alpha beta i-IEL develop thymus independently, whereas the CD8 alpha beta + TCR alpha beta i-IEL are generally considered to be thymus dependent. Flow cytometry analysis revealed a distinct population of CD8 alpha beta + TCR alpha beta i-IEL in individual athymic nu/nu mice. The i-IEL encompassing CD8 alpha beta + TCR alpha beta cells expressed potent cytolytic and interferon-gamma-producing activities. These findings demonstrate that CD8 alpha beta + TCR alpha beta i-IEL can develop in nu/nu mice independently from a functional thymus and suggest that these cells, directly or indirectly, perform biological functions in the gut. |
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