Immature thymocytes become sensitive to calcium-mediated apoptosis with the onset of CD8, CD4, and the T cell receptor expression: a role for bcl-2?

doi:10.1084/jem.178.5.1745

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Immature thymocytes become sensitive to calcium-mediated apoptosis with the onset of CD8, CD4, and the T cell receptor expression: a role for bcl-2?

S Andjelic, N Jain and J Nikolic-Zugic
Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York 10021.

During intrathymic negative selection by clonal deletion, crosslinking of the T cell receptor (TCR) induces cell death by delivering an apoptotic signal(s) to the nucleus along a calcium-dependent pathway. We investigated the reactivity of early precursor-containing thymocytes to Ca(2+)-induced signals, and discovered a breakpoint in their sensitivity to calcium-mediated cell death (CMCD). CD25+CD8-4- TCR- (triple negative [TN]) thymocytes stimulated with a calcium ionophore maintain their viability and precursor activity. By contrast, their immediate progeny, CD25-CD8lo4loTCR alpha beta lo (triple low [TL]) cells react to calcium elevation by abrogation of precursor activity and apoptotic cell death. This developmental difference is specific for CMCD, since both CD25+TN and CD25-TL cells are susceptible to steroid- induced apoptosis. The presence of bcl-2 mRNA correlates directly to the resistance to CMCD-CD25+ TN cells express it and CD25-TL cells do not. These experiments show that thymocytes become sensitive to Ca(2+)- induced apoptosis as soon as they begin to express molecules that mediate thymic selection, and suggest that a concomitant downregulation of bcl-2 may mediate this phenomenon.
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