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The role of orphan nuclear receptor in thymocyte differentiation and lymphoid organ development

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Abstract

T lymphocytes differentiate in the thymus through several phenotypically distinct stages that are tightly regulated by multiple nuclear transcription factors. Immature CD4+CD8+ double positive (DP) thymocytes make up a majority of the population in the thymus, and exhibit several phenotypic features distinct from mature T cells. DP thymocytes express only about 10% of surface TCR that are found on mature T cells and do not proliferate and produce IL-2 in response to stimulation. Several critical events of T lymphocyte maturation such as TCRα gene recombination, positive and negative selection, and CD4/CD8 lineage commitment occur around the DP stage. Recent studies from our group and others on the orphan nuclear receptor RORγ and its thymus-specific isoform RORγt support a critical role for this nuclear receptor in the regulation of DP thymocyte function. In addition, RORγ is required for the development of lymph nodes and Peyer's patches.

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  1. Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3010, 27710, Durham, NC

    You-Wen He

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He, YW. The role of orphan nuclear receptor in thymocyte differentiation and lymphoid organ development. Immunol Res 22, 71–82 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1385/IR:22:2-3:71

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