A novel CD3‐J11d+subset of CD4+CD8‐cells repopulating thymus in radiation bone marrow chimeras

摘要

AbstractSequential appearance of T cell subpopulations occurs in the thymus of irradiated AKR (H‐2k, Thy‐1.1) mice at an early stage after transplantation with bone marrow cells of C3H/HeN (H‐2k, Thy‐1.2) mice. The donor‐derived thymocytes were first detected on day 8 after bone marrow reconstitution. Although most of the thymocytes were CD4‐CD8‐cells, an appreciable level of CD4+CD8+cells was detected in the thymus at this stage. The early appearing CD4+CD8‐cells were a novel subset of thymocytes that were J11d+CD3‐. From day 10 to day 21 the proportion of CD4+CD8‐CD3‐J11d+cells decreased while the proportion of CD4+CD8‐cells and CD4+CD8‐CD3+J11d‐cells increased. The CD4+CD8‐CD3‐cells seem to diversify to form CD4+CD8+thymocytes after short‐term culturein vitro.These results suggested the existence of a differential pathway from CD4‐CD8‐cells to CD4+CD8+