Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Carding, Simon R.
• Jenkinson, Eric J.
• Kingston, Rosetta
• Hayday, Adrian C.
• Bottomly, Kim
• John J. T. Owen

Titel

Developmental Control of Lymphokine Gene Expression in Fetal Thymocytes during T-Cell Ontogeny

Ist Teil von

• Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, 1989-05, Vol.86 (9), p.3342-3345

Ort / Verlag

Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Erscheinungsjahr

1989

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• We have used the technique of in situ hybridization to investigate the expression of lymphokine genes by immature thymocytes during intrathymic development. In 13-day fetal thymocytes a population of cells constitutively produces low levels of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interleukin 4 (IL-4) mRNAs. A second phase of lymphokine gene expression occurs in the majority of 15-day thymocytes, and a population of cells constitutively produces both IL-2 and IL-4 mRNAs. Thymocytes at 14 days of gestation and after 16 days up until birth do not express detectable lymphokine mRNA. By contrast, the population of IL-2 receptor mRNA-producing thymocytes increases progressively up to 15 days of gestation, and expression thereafter decreases up to birth. In addition, thymocytes expressing interferon γ mRNA were not present until just prior to birth. Our findings indicate developmental control of lymphokine and lymphokine receptor gene expression in fetal thymocytes during ontogeny.