Intestinal intraepithelial T lymphocytes (IELs) are likely to play a key role in host mucosal immunity and, unlike other T cells, have been proposed to differentiate from local precursors rather than from thymocytes. We show here that IELs expressing the alphabeta T cell receptor are derived from precursors that express RORgammat, an orphan nuclear hormone receptor detected only in immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes, fetal lymphoid tissue-inducer (LTi) cells, and LTi-like cells in cryptopatches within the adult intestinal lamina propria. Using cell fate mapping, we found that all intestinal alphabeta T cells are progeny of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes, indicating that the adult intestine is not a significant site for alphabeta T cell development. Our results suggest that intestinal RORgammat+ cells are local organizers of mucosal lymphoid tissue.
CITATION STYLE
Eberl, G., & Littman, D. R. (2004). Thymic origin of intestinal alphabeta T cells revealed by fate mapping of RORgammat+ cells. Science, 305(5681), 248–251. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=15247480
Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.