Herpesvirus saimiri immortalization of alpha beta and gamma delta human T-lineage cells derived from CD34+ intrathymic precursors in vitro

International Immunology
A Pacheco-CastroJ R Regueiro

Abstract

Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS), an agent that can infect many human cell types, has been shown to immortalize selectively TCR alpha beta + CD3+ T lymphocytes. Human T cell precursors defined as CD34+CD3-CD4-CD8- were isolated from thymic samples and exposed to HVS in the presence of either IL-2 or IL-7. Cultures lacking the virus were non-viable by day 15. Test cultures, in contrast, showed a sustained proliferative activity lasting > 5 months, allowing the phenotypical and molecular analysis of the cellular progeny. In the presence of IL-7, TCR alpha beta + cells with three different phenotypes (mainly CD4+CD8-, but also CD4+CD8+ and CD4-CD8+) were immortalized, whereas no TCR gamma delta + cells were recovered. Kinetic studies showed that the expansion of immortalized TCR alpha beta + cells was preceded by a gradual loss of CD34+ cells followed by a transient accumulation of two distinct cell subsets: first CD1+CD4+CD3- cells and then CD4+CD8+ thymocytes. This resembles early phenotypic changes occurring during normal intrathymic T cell development. In the presence of IL-2, in contrast, only TCR gamma delta + cells were immortalized (mainly CD4-CD8+, but also CD4-CD8-). The results show that HVS can be used to read the CD3+ cellul...Continue Reading

Citations

Apr 21, 2001·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·H Fickenscher, B Fleckenstein
May 27, 1999·Seminars in Cancer Biology·J U JungB Biesinger
Feb 16, 2000·Journal of Neuroimmunology·E Meinl, R Hohlfeld

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