A viral long terminal repeat expressed in CD4+CD8+ precursors is downregulated in mature peripheral CD4-CD8+ or CD4+CD8- T cells. |
| |
| Authors: | Y Paquette L Doyon A Laperrière Z Hanna J Ball R P Sekaly and P Jolicoeur |
| |
| Institution: | Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Clinical Research Institute of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. |
| |
| Abstract: | The long terminal repeat from a thymotropic mouse mammary tumor virus variant, DMBA-LV, was used to drive the expression of two reporter genes, murine c-myc and human CD4, in transgenic mice. Expression was observed specifically in thymic immature cells. Expression of c-myc in these cells induced oligoclonal CD4+ CD8+ T-cell thymomas. Expression of human CD4 was restricted to thymic progenitor CD4- CD8- and CD4+ CD8+ T cells and was shut off in mature CD4+ CD8- and CD4- CD8+ T cells, known to be derived from the progenitor double-positive T cells. These results suggest the existence of similar and common factors in CD4+ CD8- and CD4- CD8+ T cells and support a model of differentiation of CD4+ CD8+ T cells through common signal(s) involved in turning off the expression of the CD4 or CD8 gene. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
