MHCII+CD80+ thymic eosinophils increase in abundance during neonatal development in mice and their accumulation is microbiota dependent

Abstract

Eosinophils are present in the thymus of mammals, yet their function at this site during homeostatic development is unknown. We used flow cytometry to determine the abundance and phenotype of eosinophils (here defined as SSchigh SiglecF+ CD11b+ CD45+ cells) in the thymus of mice during the neonatal period, the later postnatal period, and into adulthood. We show that both the total number of thymic eosinophils and their frequency among leukocytes increase over the first 2 wk of life and that their accumulation in the thymus is dependent on the presence of an intact bacterial microbiota. We report that thymic eosinophils express the interleukin-5 receptor (CD125), CD80, and IDO, and that subsets of thymic eosinophils express CD11c and major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII). We found that the frequency of MHCII-expressing thymic eosinophils increases over the first 2 wk of life, and that during this early-life period the highest frequency of MHCII-expressing thymic eosinophils is located in the inner medullary region. These data suggest a temporal and microbiota-dependent regulation of eosinophil abundance and functional capabilities in the thymus.