Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026

Expansion and Enrichment of Gamma-Delta γδ T Cells from Apheresed Human Product
Published on: September 22, 2021
Development of γδ T Cells, the Special-Force Soldiers of the Immune System
1Blood Cell Development and Function Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19111-2497, USA, david.wiest@fccc.edu.
Abstract:
While the functions of αβ T cells in host resistance to pathogen infection are understood in far more detail than those of γδ lineage T cells, γδ T cells perform critical, essential functions during immune responses that cannot be compensated by αβ T cells. Accordingly, it is essential to understand how the development of γδ T cells is controlled so that their generation and function might be manipulated in future for therapeutic benefit. This introductory chapter will cover the basic processes that underlie γδ T cell development in the thymus, as well as the current understanding of how they are controlled.
Related Concept Videos
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Development of Immunocompetence
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response
B Cell Activation and Differentiation
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...

