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NKT Cells in Mice Originate from Cytoplasmic CD3-Positive, CD4-CD8- Double-Negative Thymocytes that Express CD44 and

Zhansheng Hu1,2, Wen Gu1, Yang Wei3

  • 1Immunology and Tumor Research Instituted, the First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shanxi, 710061, PR China.

Scientific Reports
|February 14, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Natural killer T (NKT) cells may originate from early thymocytes expressing cytoplasmic CD3. Researchers identified CD44 as a potential marker for these NKT cells, suggesting a new developmental pathway.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • The developmental origin of CD4-negative CD8-negative (DN) natural killer T (NKT) cells remains incompletely understood.
  • Conventional T cells are believed to develop from CD4-positive CD8-positive (DP) thymocytes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the developmental origin of CD4-negative CD8-negative (DN) NKT cells.
  • To identify potential markers for early-stage T cells and NKT cells within the thymus.

Main Methods:

  • Flow cytometry analysis of thymocyte populations.
  • Assessment of NK1.1, CD3 (cytoplasmic and surface), CD44, CD25, and IL-7Rα expression.
  • Comparison of marker expression in different thymocyte subsets (DN, SP, DP) and NKT cells.

Main Results:

  • NK1.1 expression was highest in DN cells, followed by SP and DP cells, with specific patterns within DN subsets (DN1-DN4).
  • Cytoplasmic CD3 was unexpectedly found in most DN thymocytes, with lower expression than mature T and NKT cells.
  • NKT cells were more abundant in cytoplasmic CD3-expressing DN cells and DN1 thymocytes; CD44 and IL-7Rα were highly expressed on NKT cells.

Conclusions:

  • Cytoplasmic CD3 expression can serve as an early marker for T cell development, including NKT cells.
  • NKT cells may originate from cytoplasmic CD3-positive DN thymocytes expressing CD44 and IL-7Rα.
  • CD44 can be used as an additional marker for identifying NKT cells in their early developmental stages.

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