Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents

The Journal of Experimental Medicine 194 2 Stratification of early developmental stages in the postnatal thymus. The overall distribution of CD4^-CD8^- precursors is revealed by staining recombination activating gene (RAG)-1­deficient cells (Thy1.2⁺, brown) in the thymi of Thy-1.1-congenic, wild-type bone marrow chimeras (top left). CD4CD8^- cells form a gradient beginning at the cortico-medullary junction (CMJ) and peaking near the outer capsule (subcapsular zone [SCZ]). The earliest CD4^-CD8^- cells (CD117⁺, top right) are most prevalent near the CMJ and are also scattered throughout the midcortex but are rare in the SCZ. In contrast, more mature CD4^-CD8^- cells (CD25⁺, bottom left) are nearly absent from the CMJ but increase in frequency across the cortex, peaking in the SCZ. The intermediate (CD25⁺CD117⁺) stage is found mainly in the midcortical regions, as indicated by two-color fluorescent microscopy (bottom right; CD117, red; CD25, green). These data show that genetically distinct stages of T cell development are found in distinct areas of the thymic cortex, implicating the corresponding stromal regions in the induction of these differentiative processes. See related article in this issue by Lind et al., pp. 127-134.
[Table of Contents]

Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search

TABLE OF CONTENTS