A linkage between dendritic cell and T-cell development in the mouse thymus: the capacity of sequential T-cell precursors to form dendritic cells in culture

Abstract

The earliest T precursor population in the adult mouse thymus (CD4 lo8 −3 −44 +25 − c-kit +) was previously shown to be lymphoid-restricted (T, B, NK) but to have a capacity to form dendritic cells (DC). This led to the concept of a lineage of lymphoid-derived DC. DC could be generated with high efficiency in culture from this low CD4 precursor, using a complex mix of cytokines, a mix that notably did not include GM-CSF, the cytokine normally used for development in culture of myeloid-derived DC. Using this new culture system we now show that the capacity to form DC extends to the pro-T precursor population (CD4 −8 −3 −44 +25 +c-kit +) but is lost by the pre-T precursor stage (CD4 −8 −3 −44 −25 +c-kit −), the point of T-cell antigen-receptor β-gene rearrangement. The DC generated in the cultures resemble mature thymic DC by most markers, but differ in their lack of expression of BP-1 and CD8 α.