TCR-gamma genes are rearranged but not transcribed in IL-7R alpha-deficient mice

IL-7, a cytokine produced by bone marrow and thymic stroma, is a growth factor for B and T lymphocytes very early in their development. The IL-7R is a heterodimer of an alpha-chain that specifically binds IL-7 and the common gamma-chain, gamma(c), which is also a component of the receptors for IL-2, IL-4, IL-9, and IL-15. IL-7 has also been hypothesized to play a role in the differentiation of gammadelta T cells, which is supported by the recent findings that mice deficient in the alpha-chain of the IL-7R (IL-7R alpha -/-) or IL-7 (IL-7 -/-) have a complete absence of gammadelta T cells, but not alphabeta T cells. We show in this work that Vgamma4 and Vgamma6 TCR genes are rearranged, and sterile Vgamma4 and Vgamma6 TCR-gamma transcripts are expressed in IL-7R alpha -/- thymocytes, but these TCR-gamma genes, and Vgamma5, are not transcribed in thymocytes from IL-7R alpha -/- mice. RAG-1 and RAG-2 genes are transcriptionally active in fetal and adult IL-7R alpha -/- thymocytes. The IL-7-inducible transcription factor, STAT5, is not active in the fetal thymus of IL-7R alpha -/- compared with IL-7R alpha +/+ mice. These data point to a specific role for IL-7/IL-7R signaling in regulating the transcriptional activity, possibly mediated by STAT5, of the rearranged TCR-gamma complex during development of gammadelta T cells, and point to mechanistic differences in the regulation of rearrangement of Vgamma4 and Vgamma6 genes vs Vgamma5.