T Cell Development l Flashcards
Where do T cells originate and develop?
originate = bone marrow
develop = thymus
What are developing T cells referred to as?
thymocytes
How long does T cell development take?
1-3 weeks
Describe the size of the thymus as human development occurs.
at birth = thymus is fully developed
at peak puberty = thymus at greatest size
after peak puberty = thymus atrophies
Describe the lobular structures of the thymus
lobular structures are seperated by a capsule, each capsule contains an outer cortex and an inner medulla
What are some characterisitics/events of early T cell development?
- TCR independent
- precursors come from bone marrow and develop in the thymus
- TCR rearrangement begins in an ordered progression
- expansion of T cell precursors that successfully rearrange the TCR beta chain and can form the pre-TCR (beta selection)
What are some characteristics/events of late T cell development?
- TCR dependent
- positive selection
- negative selecton
- CD4+ or CD8+ lineage commitment
What is positive selection?
selection for cells whose TCRs can interact with self-MHC/self-peptides with intermediate affinity
What is negative selection?
selection against cells with TCRs that strongly interact with self-MHC/self-peptides
What is CD4+ or CD8+ lineage commitment?
thymocytes become CD4+ or CD8+
What are some other names for T cell precursors?
- thymus-settling progenitors (TSPs)
- double negative 1 (DN1) cells
How are T cell precursors directed to the thymus?
via cytokines
What are DN stages defined by?
lack of CD4 and CD8 expression
How are the four DN stages distinguished?
by cell surface markers
At what stage can T cell precursors no longer give rise to other lineages?
DN2