Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1990 Apr;87(7):2579-82.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.7.2579.

Kinetics of mature T-cell development in the thymus

M Egerton  1 , R Scollay, K Shortman
Affiliations

Kinetics of mature T-cell development in the thymus

M Egerton et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Apr.

Abstract

We have reexamined the balance between cell birth, cell maturation, and cell death in the thymus by labeling dividing thymocytes and their progeny in vivo with [3H]-thymidine, isolating clearly defined subpopulations by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and determining the distribution of label by autoradiography. When mature thymocytes were precisely defined (as CD4+CD8- CD3+ or CD4-CD8+ CD3+) and separated from immature single positives (CD4+CD8- CD3- and CD4-CD8+ CD3-), a lag was observed in the rate of entry of [3H]thymidine into mature cells. Thus, many of the mature thymocytes appear to derive from a small nondividing cortical thymocyte pool, rather than originating directly from the earliest dividing CD4+CD8+ blasts. There was little evidence for cell division during or after mature thymocyte formation, suggesting a one-for-one differentiation from cortical cells rather than selective clonal expansion. The rate of production of mature single positive thymocytes agreed closely with estimates of the rate of export of mature T cells from the thymus and was only 3% of the rate of production of double-positive cortical thymocytes. This was compatible with a stringent selection process and extensive intrathymic cell death and suggested that no extensive negative selection occurred after the mature cells were formed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Cell Immunol. 1974 May;12(2):230-46 - PubMed
    1. Cell Tissue Kinet. 1973 Nov;6(6):573-85 - PubMed
    1. Eur J Immunol. 1980 Mar;10(3):210-8 - PubMed
    1. J Histochem Cytochem. 1980 Sep;28(9):1021-4 - PubMed
    1. Thymus. 1979 Nov;1(3):151-62 - PubMed

Publication types