Fas-mediated apoptosis is essential for activation-induced cell death of α/β T cells, but it is not clear what role, if any, it plays in regulating other components of the immune system. To study the role of Fas in γ/δ T cell development, Fas-deficient lpr mice were bred with T cell receptor α gene-ablated (TCR-α-/-) mice to generate mice deficient in one or both genes. The TCR-α-/-, lpr/lpr mice had a nearly 10-fold increase in total lymph node cell (LNC) number compared with Fas-intact TCR-α-/- mice, because of expansion of TCR-γ/δ+ and TCR-β+ cells. In Fas-intact TCR-α-/- mice, approximately one third of the LNCs expressed TCR-γ/δ. These were evenly divided between the CD4-, CD8-α+ and the CD4-, CD8- subsets, and rarely expressed the B220 epitope of CD45. In contrast, in TCR-α-/-, lpr/lpr mice, TCR-γ/δ+ cells comprised half of the LNCs and were primarily CD4-, CD8- , and B220+. Moreover, Fas deficiency in TCR-α-/- mice caused a preferential expansion of γ/δ T cells expressing variable region genes characteristic of intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes. These results demonstrate a role for Fas in regulating the γ/δ T cell contribution to peripheral lymph nodes. This mechanism may be most important in limiting the access of activated intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes to the peripheral lymphoid system.
CITATION STYLE
Hughes, D. P. M., Hayday, A., Craft, J. E., Owen, M. J., & Crispe, I. N. (1995). T cells with γ/δ T cell receptors (TCR) of intestinal type are preferentially expanded in TCR-α-deficient lpr mice. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 182(1), 233–241. https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.182.1.233
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