Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Derivation of Thymic Lymphoma T-cell Lines from Atm-/- and p53-/- Mice
Published on: April 3, 2011
p53 prevents maturation of T cell development to the immature CD4-CD8+ stage in Bcl11b-/- mice
K Okazuka1, Y Wakabayashi, M Kashihara
1Department of Molecular Genetics, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, Asahimachi 1-757, Niigata 951-8122, Japan.
Abstract:
Signaling pathways such as the pre-TCR and Wnt pathways regulate alpha/beta T cell differentiation in thymus. Mice lacking an essential component of the pre-TCR exhibit arrest at the (CD4(-)CD8(-)) (CD44(-)CD25(+)) stage (DN3) of thymocyte development, and introduction of p53 deficiency into those mice abrogates this arrest, resulting in transition to the (CD4(+)CD8(+)) double-positive (DP) stage. This paper examines the effect of inactivation of p53 on thymocyte development in Bcl11b(-/-) mice that exhibit arrest at the DN3 or (CD4(-)CD8(+)) immature single-positive (ISP) stage. No DP thymocytes were detected in thymocytes of adoptive transfer experiments in scid mice that were derived from p53(-/-)Bcl11b(-/-) precursors but ISP thymocytes increased in the proportion and in the cell number approximately three times higher than those from Bcl11b(-/-) precursors. Consistently, the level of apoptosis decreased to the level of wild-type precursors. These results suggest that inactivation of p53 is sufficient for DN3 thymocytes to differentiate into the ISP, but not to DP, stage of thymocyte development in Bcl11b(-/-) mice. This provides evidence for a novel p53-mediated checkpoint that regulates the transition from the DN3 to ISP stage of thymocyte development.
Related Concept Videos
Negative Regulator Molecules
Inhibition of Cdk Activity
Abnormal Proliferation
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...

