Medullary but Not Cortical Thymic Epithelial Cells Present Soluble Antigens to Helper T Cells

Overview

Journal J Exp Med

Specialties Allergy & Immunology
General Medicine

Date 1992 Jun 1

PMID 1534114

Citations 24

Authors

T Mizuochi

M Kasai

T Kokuho

T Kakiuchi

K Hirokawa

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Thymic epithelial cell lines (TECs) were established from newborn C57BL/6 mice. They were classified into two types (medullary and cortical TECs) by using the monoclonal antibody (Th-3) that recognizes the meshwork structure of thymic cortical epithelial cells. Antigen-presenting activity of each TEC was determined by using ovalbumin-specific, I-Ab-restricted helper T cell lines. It was demonstrated that the medullary but not the cortical TECs functioned as antigen-presenting cells. This is the first evidence for the functional difference between the cortical and the medullary TEC.

Citing Articles

The Thymus as a Mirror of the Body's Gene Expression.

Passos G, Genari A, Assis A, Monteleone-Cassiano A, Donadi E, Oliveira E Adv Exp Med Biol. 2025; 1471:247-268.

PMID: 40067590 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-77921-3_9.

De novo construction of T cell compartment in humanized mice engrafted with iPSC-derived thymus organoids.

Zeleniak A, Wiegand C, Liu W, McCormick C, K R, Alavi A Nat Methods. 2022; 19(10):1306-1319.

PMID: 36064772 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01583-3.

miR-155 exerts posttranscriptional control of autoimmune regulator (Aire) and tissue-restricted antigen genes in medullary thymic epithelial cells.

Tanaka P, Oliveira E, Vieira-Machado M, Duarte M, Assis A, Bombonato-Prado K BMC Genomics. 2022; 23(1):404.

PMID: 35643451 PMC: 9145475. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08631-4.

The absence of the autoimmune regulator gene (AIRE) impairs the three-dimensional structure of medullary thymic epithelial cell spheroids.

Monteleone-Cassiano A, Dernowsek J, Mascarenhas R, Assis A, Pitol D, Santos Moreira N BMC Mol Cell Biol. 2022; 23(1):15.

PMID: 35331137 PMC: 8952272. DOI: 10.1186/s12860-022-00414-9.

Aire-dependent genes undergo Clp1-mediated 3'UTR shortening associated with higher transcript stability in the thymus.

Guyon C, Jmari N, Padonou F, Li Y, Ucar O, Fujikado N Elife. 2020; 9.

PMID: 32338592 PMC: 7205469. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.52985.

References

Zinkernagel R, Callahan G, Althage A, Cooper S, Klein P, Klein J . On the thymus in the differentiation of "H-2 self-recognition" by T cells: evidence for dual recognition?. J Exp Med. 1978; 147(3):882-96. PMC: 2184211. DOI: 10.1084/jem.147.3.882. View

Sprent J, Lo D, Gao E, Ron Y . T cell selection in the thymus. Immunol Rev. 1988; 101:173-90. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1988.tb00737.x. View

Gaspari A, Jenkins M, Katz S . Class II MHC-bearing keratinocytes induce antigen-specific unresponsiveness in hapten-specific Th1 clones. J Immunol. 1988; 141(7):2216-20. View

Lo D, Sprent J . Identity of cells that imprint H-2-restricted T-cell specificity in the thymus. Nature. 1986; 319(6055):672-5. DOI: 10.1038/319672a0. View

Nieuwenhuis P, Stet R, WAGENAAR J, Wubbena A, Kampinga J, Karrenbeld A . The transcapsular route: a new way for (self-) antigens to by-pass the blood-thymus barrier?. Immunol Today. 1988; 9(12):372-5. DOI: 10.1016/0167-5699(88)91236-4. View

Marrack P, Kappler J . The T cell receptor. Science. 1987; 238(4830):1073-9. DOI: 10.1126/science.3317824. View

Fink P, Bevan M . H-2 antigens of the thymus determine lymphocyte specificity. J Exp Med. 1978; 148(3):766-75. PMC: 2185005. DOI: 10.1084/jem.148.3.766. View

Karlsson L, Surh C, Sprent J, Peterson P . A novel class II MHC molecule with unusual tissue distribution. Nature. 1991; 351(6326):485-8. DOI: 10.1038/351485a0. View

Kasai M, Hirokawa K . A novel cofactor produced by a thymic epithelial cell line: promotion of proliferation of immature thymic lymphocytes by the presence of interleukin-1 and various mitogens. Cell Immunol. 1991; 132(2):377-90. DOI: 10.1016/0008-8749(91)90035-a. View

10.

Murphy D, Lo D, Rath S, Brinster R, Flavell R, Slanetz A . A novel MHC class II epitope expressed in thymic medulla but not cortex. Nature. 1989; 338(6218):765-8. DOI: 10.1038/338765a0. View

11.

Benoist C, Mathis D . Positive selection of the T cell repertoire: where and when does it occur?. Cell. 1989; 58(6):1027-33. DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90501-1. View

12.

Berrih S, Cohen S, Devos R, Charron D, Virelizier J . Interferon-gamma modulates HLA class II antigen expression on cultured human thymic epithelial cells. J Immunol. 1985; 135(2):1165-71. View

13.

Weiss A, Imboden J, Hardy K, Manger B, Terhorst C, Stobo J . The role of the T3/antigen receptor complex in T-cell activation. Annu Rev Immunol. 1986; 4:593-619. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.iy.04.040186.003113. View

14.

Hirokawa K, Utsuyama M, Moriizumi E, Handa S . Analysis of the thymic microenvironment by monoclonal antibodies with special reference to thymic nurse cells. Thymus. 1986; 8(6):349-60. View

15.

Ransom J, Wu R, Fischer M, Zlotnik A . Antigen presenting ability of thymic macrophages and epithelial cells: evidence for defects in the antigen processing function of thymic epithelial cells. Cell Immunol. 1991; 134(1):180-90. DOI: 10.1016/0008-8749(91)90341-8. View