Bclx Regulates the Survival of Double-Positive Thymocytes

The bclx gene has been shown to regulate programmed cell death in vitro. We now show that Bclx expression increases dramatically when T cells differentiate from CD4-CD8-(double negative) thymocytes to CD4+CD8+[double positive (DP)] thymocytes. In contrast single-positive (SP) thymocytes express negl...

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Published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 92; no. 11; pp. 4763 - 4767
Main Authors Ma, Averil, Pena, John C., Chang, Brian, Margosian, Elisabeth, Davidson, Laurie, Alt, Frederick W., Thompson, Craig B.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 23.05.1995
National Acad Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Subjects
Animals
Antibodies, Monoclonal
B lymphocytes
bcl-X Protein
CD4 Antigens - analysis
CD8 Antigens - analysis
Cell Death
Cell lines
Cell Survival - immunology
Cells, Cultured
Cellular biology
Chimeras
Cultured cells
Developmental biology
Embryo, Mammalian
Gene Expression
Gene expression regulation
Genes
Immunity (Disease)
Lymphocytes
Medical research
Mice - immunology
Monoclonal antibodies
Proto-Oncogene Proteins - biosynthesis
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
Recombinant Proteins - biosynthesis
Recombinant Proteins - immunology
Stem Cells - immunology
T lymphocytes
T-Lymphocyte Subsets - cytology
T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology
T-Lymphocytes - cytology
T-Lymphocytes - immunology
Thymocytes
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Summary:The bclx gene has been shown to regulate programmed cell death in vitro. We now show that Bclx expression increases dramatically when T cells differentiate from CD4-CD8-(double negative) thymocytes to CD4+CD8+[double positive (DP)] thymocytes. In contrast single-positive (SP) thymocytes express negligible amounts of Bclx protein. This expression pattern contrasts with that of Bcl2, which is present in double-negative thymocytes, down-regulated in DP thymocytes, and reinduced upon maturation to SP thymocytes. Elimination of Bclx by gene targeting dramatically shortens the survival of DP thymocytes but not the survival of SP thymocytes or peripheral SP T cells. These data suggest that the induction of Bclx during thymic maturation plays a critical role in regulating the length of time DP thymocytes survive in the absence of selection.
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ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.92.11.4763