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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Isolation and Ex Vivo Culture of Vδ1+CD4+γδ T Cells, an Extrathymic αβT-cell Progenitor

Isolation and Ex Vivo Culture of Vδ1⁺CD4⁺γδ T Cells, an Extrathymic αβT-cell Progenitor

Published on: December 7, 2015

Developmental plasticity of lymphocytes.

César Cobaleda¹, Meinrad Busslinger

¹Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.

Current Opinion in Immunology

|May 13, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Lymphocytes exhibit surprising developmental plasticity, allowing them to switch lineages. Experimental manipulation can redirect lymphoid cells into myeloid or erythroid fates, or even convert B cells into T cells.

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Last Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Isolation and Ex Vivo Culture of Vδ1+CD4+γδ T Cells, an Extrathymic αβT-cell Progenitor

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Published on: December 7, 2015

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Flow Cytometric Characterization of Murine B Cell Development

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Published on: January 22, 2021

Area of Science:

Immunology
Developmental Biology
Cell Biology

Background:

Lymphoid cells normally follow a strict developmental pathway.
Understanding factors influencing lymphoid cell fate is crucial for developmental biology and disease research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the developmental plasticity of lymphoid cells.
To explore the potential for lineage switching in lymphocytes through experimental manipulation.

Main Methods:

Experimental perturbation of signaling and transcription factor networks.
Retroviral expression of transcription factors (C/EBPalpha, GATA1).
Conditional inactivation of key commitment factors (Pax5).

Main Results:

Common lymphoid progenitors and pro-T cells can be diverted to myeloid or erythroid lineages.
Forced C/EBPalpha expression induces transdifferentiation of thymocytes and B cells into macrophages.
Inactivating Pax5 converts mature B cells into functional T cells via dedifferentiation.

Conclusions:

Lymphocytes possess significant, previously unappreciated developmental plasticity.
This plasticity may explain lineage switches observed in human cancers.
Experimental insights into lymphoid cell fate can inform our understanding of developmental processes and disease mechanisms.