Depletion-Resistant CD4 T Cells Enhance Thymopoiesis During Lymphopenia.
Lymphoablation is routinely used in transplantation, and its success is defined by the balance of pathogenic versus protective T cells within reconstituted repertoire. While homeostatic proliferation and thymopoiesis may both cause T cell recovery during lymphopenia, the relative contributions of these mechanisms remain unclear. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of the thymus during T cell reconstitution in adult allograft recipients subjected to lymphoablative induction therapy. Compared with euthymic mice, thymectomized heart allograft recipients demonstrated severely impaired CD4 and CD8 T cell recovery and prolonged heart allograft survival after lymphoablation with murine anti-thymocyte globulin (mATG). The injection with agonistic anti-CD40 mAb or thymus transplantation only partially restored T cell reconstitution in mATG-treated thymectomized mice. After mATG depletion, residual CD4 T cells migrated into the thymus and enhanced thymopoiesis. Conversely, depletion of CD4 T cells before lymphoablation inhibited thymopoiesis at the stage of CD4- CD8- CD44hi CD25+ immature thymocytes. This is the first demonstration that the thymus and peripheral CD4 T cells cooperate to ensure optimal T cell reconstitution after lymphoablation. Targeting thymopoiesis through manipulating functions of depletion-resistant helper T cells may thus improve therapeutic benefits and minimize the risks of lymphoablation in clinical settings.
Duke Scholars
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- Thymus Gland
- Surgery
- Mice, Inbred DBA
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice
- Male
- Lymphopenia
- Lymphocyte Depletion
- Immunologic Memory
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Thymus Gland
- Surgery
- Mice, Inbred DBA
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice
- Male
- Lymphopenia
- Lymphocyte Depletion
- Immunologic Memory