How alpha beta T cells deal with induced TCR alpha ablation

On deletion of the gene encoding the constant region of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR)alpha chain in mature T cells by induced Cre-mediated recombination, the cells lose most of their TCR from the cell surface within 7--10 days, but minute amounts of surface-bound TCR beta chains are retained for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2001-07, Vol.98 (15), p.8744-8749
Main Authors: Polic, B, Kunkel, D, Scheffold, A, Rajewsky, K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology
CD8 antigen
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta - immunology
Time Factors
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Summary:On deletion of the gene encoding the constant region of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR)alpha chain in mature T cells by induced Cre-mediated recombination, the cells lose most of their TCR from the cell surface within 7--10 days, but minute amounts of surface-bound TCR beta chains are retained for long periods of time. In a situation in which cellular influx from the thymus is blocked, TCR-deficient naive T cells decay over time, the decay rates being faster for CD8(+) cells (t(1/2) approximately 16 days) than for CD4(+) cells (t(1/2) approximately 46 days). TCR(+) naïve cells are either maintained (CD8(+)) or decay more slowly (CD4(+); t(1/2) approximately 78 days.) Numbers of TCR-deficient memory T cells decline very slowly (CD8(+) cells; t(1/2) approximately 52 days) or not at all (CD4(+) cells), but at the population level, these cells fail to expand as their TCR(+) counterparts do. Together with earlier data on T cell maintenance in environments lacking appropriate major histocompatibility complex antigens, these data argue against the possibility that spontaneous ligand-independent signaling by the alpha beta TCR contributes significantly to T-cell homeostasis.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.141218898