THE ROLE OF THYMIC NURSE CELLS IN T CELL DEVELOPMENT (CELL DEATH).
Contributors: City University of New York.
Published: 1995
Number of pages: 96
Subjects: Biology, Cell.; Health Sciences, Immunology.
Description: SV40 immortalized thymic nurse cells (TNCs) were shown to maintain the ability to selectively internalize a subpopulation of $\alpha\beta$ $\rm TCR\sp+CD4\sp+CD8\sp+$ thymocytes in vitro. We have now developed temperature sensitive lines of TNCs using the SV40 viral mutant tsA58. One temperature sensitive line of TNCs, tsTNC-1, was shown to be able to rescue a subset of $\rm CD4\sp+CD8\sp+$ thymocytes from programmed cell death at 32$\sp\circ$C, the temperature at which binding and internalization were detected. Rescue was not detected at 38$\sp\circ$C, the temperature at which thymocyte binding was undetectable. The rescued population of thymocytes showed a reduced level of apoptosis as measured by the DNA fragmentation assay. TNC rescue resulted in a shift of $\rm CD4\sp+CD8\sp+$ thymocytes from immature $\rm TCR\spl□ow □$cells to the more mature $\rm TCR\spi□nt □$phenotype. The rescue activity of tsTNC-1 cells at 32$\sp\circ$C was blocked with the addition of antibodies to either class I or class II MHC antigens. These results suggest that TNC rescue is facilitated through an interaction between the TCR and the MHC, and that the resulting survivors mature to a phenotype within the double positive stage of development that is indicative of positive selection.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-10, Section: B, page: 5270.

Thesis (PH.D.)--CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, 1995.

School code: 0046.