Molecular mechanisms of T cell development and functional differentiation in the thymus

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K08524
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Immunology
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: KIMURA Motoko 千葉大学, 大学院医学研究院, 准教授 (00345018)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 免疫学 / 胸腺 / 胸腺内細胞分化 / 細胞の運命決定 / T細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Functional lineage-decision either becoming helper lineage cells or killer lineage cells is determined by the duration of TCR signaling that developing T cells receive. Long duration of TCR signaling promotes helper lineage (i.e. CD4T cells); whereas short duration of TCR signaling results in the development of killer cells (i.e. CD8T cells). In this study, we have found that helper function is imposed by TCR signaling independently of Thpok expression so that all positively selected developing cells including MHC-I selected cells once acquire the helper function. However, during CD8T cell development, cytokine-induced Runx3d expression suppresses helper function and endows killer function. In summary, our data reveal that "functional reversal" is occurred during CD8T cell development.

Free Research Field

T細胞の発生・分化機構の解明、並びに病態形成の分子メカニズムの解明