2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Regulation of IL-7R expression in thymocytes and memory T cells
| Project/Area Number |
22790460
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Immunology
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| Research Institution | Kyoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2010 – 2011
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| Keywords | リンパ球 / サイトカインレセプター |
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| Research Abstract |
IL-7 is a cytokine essential for T lymphocyte development and homeostasis. However, little is known about the roles of itsα-chain(IL-7Rα) in late stages of T cell development. To address this question, we established IL-7Rα-floxed mice and crossed them with CD4-Cre transgenic mice. Resultant mice(IL-7RcKO) mice exhibited marked reduction in CD8 single positive(SP) T cells, regulatory T cells(Tregs) and natural killer T(NKT) cells. In addition, the proportion and proliferation of both mature CD4SP and CD8SP thymocytes were decreased, and expression of genes important for function of each subset was decreased. IL-7RcKO mice also showed impaired Treg and NKT cell proliferation and inhibition of NKT cell maturation. IL-7RcKO mice exhibited increased numbers of B,γδT, and dendritic cells in thymus. Overall, this study demonstrates that IL-7Rαhas multiple functions in thymocyte subpopulations in late developmental stages and suggests that IL-7R expression onαβT cells suppresses development of other cell lineages in thymus.
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