Integrin CD103 reveals a distinct developmental pathway of autoreactive thymocytes in TCR transgenic mice.

Clonal deletion through negative selection is critical to eliminate autoreactive T cells in the thymus. Negative selection, however, is imperfect such that some autoreactive thymocytes can escape thymic deletion and successfully populate peripheral tissues. This is also the case for autoreactive 2D2 TCR transgenic T cells, a widely employed mouse model in studying the pathogenesis of CD4 T cell-mediated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

The ever-expanding role of cytokine receptor DR3 in T cells.

Death Receptor 3 (DR3) is a cytokine receptor of the Tumor Necrosis Factor receptor superfamily that plays a multifaceted role in both innate and adaptive immunity. Based on the death domain motif in its cytosolic tail, DR3 had been proposed and functionally affirmed as a trigger of apoptosis. Further studies, however, also revealed roles of DR3 in other cellular pathways, including inflammation, survival, and proliferation.

Proinflammatory IFNγ Is Produced by but Not Required for the Generation of Eomes Thymic Innate CD8 T Cells.

Innate CD8 T cells are proinflammatory effector T cells that achieve functional maturation in the thymus prior to their export into and maturation in peripheral tissues. Innate CD8 T cells produce the Th1 cytokine IFNγ but depend on the Th2 cytokine IL-4 for their generation. Thus, innate CD8 T cells can permute the intrathymic cytokine milieu by consuming a Th2 cytokine but driving a Th1 cytokine response.

Markers and makers of NKT17 cells.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are thymus-generated innate-like αβ T cells that undergo terminal differentiation in the thymus. Such a developmental pathway differs from that of conventional αβ T cells, which are generated in the thymus but complete their functional maturation in peripheral tissues. Multiple subsets of iNKT cells have been described, among which IL-17-producing iNKT cells are commonly referred to as NKT17 cells.

Cytokine receptor γc effectuates the generation of proinflammatory innate CD8 T cells by non-classical MHC-I molecules.

Innate CD8 T cells correspond to a population of terminally differentiated effector T cells that phenotypically appear as antigen-experienced memory cells and functionally resemble proinflammatory CD8 T cells, expressing copious amounts of IFNγ. Innate CD8 T cells, however, are distinct from conventional effector-memory CD8 T cells as they acquire functional maturity during their generation in the thymus. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive their thymic development and differentiation is an intensely studied subject in T cell immunity, and here we identified the cytokine receptor γc as a critical mediator of innate CD8 T cell generation that promotes their selection even in the absence of classical MHC-I molecules.

The cytokine receptor DR3 identifies and promotes the activation of thymic NKT17 cells.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells correspond to a population of thymus-generated T cells with innate-like characteristics and effector functions. Among the various iNKT subsets, NKT17 is the only subset that produces the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17. But, how NKT17 cells acquire this ability and what would selectively trigger their activation remain incompletely understood.

The molecular basis and cellular effects of distinct CD103 expression on CD4 and CD8 T cells.

Integrin CD103 mediates the adhesion and tissue retention of T cells by binding to E-cadherin which is abundant on epithelial cells. Notably, CD103 is highly expressed on CD8 T cells but conspicuously absent on most CD4 T cells. The mechanism controlling such lineage-specific expression of CD103 remains unclear.

Evaluation of the Effects of Tamoxifen on Adipose-Derived Stem Cells: A Pilot Study.

Autologous fat grafting (AFG) is a safe and minimally invasive procedure to correct soft tissue defects. The benefit of AFG is attributed to adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in fat tissue graft. This technique is useful also in patients undergoing reconstructive surgery following quadrantectomy for breast cancer.