The MHC locus controls size variations in the CD4 compartment of the mouse thymus

The genetic factors that determine the size of lymphocyte populations are largely unknown. We studied the genetic control of variations in the size of the CD4 thymic compartment in unmanipulated mouse strains. A time-course experiment showed that the C57BL/6 mouse strain has a consistently reduced proportion of thymic CD4 cells compared to the BALB/c strain. This difference denotes a decrease in the efficiency of the transition from CD4(+)CD8(+) to CD4(+) thymocytes in the C57BL/6 mouse. Genome-wide genetic mapping identified a major quantitative trait locus in the MHC region that controlled the variations in the proportion of CD4 thymocytes in an F2 intercrossed progeny from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice (LOD score=21.7). The linkage was maximal at the MHC class II molecule Ea locus, which explained 59% of the observed phenotypic variance. As the C57BL/6 mouse does not express Ea, we hypothesize that the decreased size of the CD4 compartment in the C57BL/6 thymus is due to a reduction in the number of functional MHC class II genes. This study suggests that, at the level of the thymus, the MHC molecules in addition to conferring functional restriction and self-tolerance on the T-cell repertoire, also play a role in determining the homeostasis of the thymic compartments.