Abstract

ObjectiveAdiponectin is an adipokine possessing potent immunomodulatory activities. The present study investigated T‐cell development and maturation in the thymus tissue of FVB/N‐Tg( PyVT‐MMTV)634Mul/J mice with or without Adipoq allele expressions.MethodsDifferent populations of lymphocytes were analyzed by flow cytometry. Protein expressions were evaluated by immunofluorescence staining and/or Western blotting. Gene expression and mRNA presence were measured by quantitative real time PCR and in situ hybridization respectively.ResultsSignificant reductions of CD3+CD45+ and CD3+CD4+ cells were observed in the blood of FVB/N‐Tg(PyVT‐MMTV)634Mul/J mice lacking adiponectin (AKO), when compared to age‐matched mice with Adipoq allele expression (WT). An increased population of CD45+CD3−CD44high progenitor cells was present in the blood of AKO mice. The CD3+ cells were also significantly reduced in the thymus of AKO mice, where exhibited altered expression and distribution of epithelial markers including cytokeratin 5, cytokeratin 8, p63 and β5t when compared to those of WT mice. Adiponectin mRNA and protein expression were detected in thymus tissue sections and the thymic nurse cell (TNC) complexes of WT mice. The thymus of AKO mice contained significantly reduced amount of TNC complexes, leading to the accumulation of double positive thymocytes. Molecular interactions between adiponectin, CD100 and galectin‐3 might play a role in the engulfment of lymphocytes by TNC complexes.ConclusionThymic adiponectin expression plays a key role in modulating the epithelial environment and T‐cell maturation in thymus.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported in part by grants from Seeding Funds for basic research of the University of Hong Kong, Research Council Grants (17121714, HKU779712M, HKU780613M) of Hong Kong; And the National Basic Research Program of China (973 program 2015CB553603).This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.