Abstract
Abstract Beside CD4 and CD8 αβT cells, several minor but important T cell subsets develop in the thymus. These include NKT cells, which are selected on MHC class 1b molecule CD1d. NKT cells are broadly divided into type 1 NKT cells, which express an invariant TCR and bind αGalCer-CD1d tetramer and type 2 NKT cells, which express non-invariant TCRs and do not bind αGalCer-CD1d tetramer. Significance advances in development of type 1 NKT cells have been made by using αGalCer-CD1d tetramer for visualization of their thymic development. However, very little is known about development of type 2 NKT cells due to the lack of a specific marker for their identification in the thymus. Here we show that the highly conserved heparan sulphate proteoglycan syndecan-1 (sdc1) is selectively expressed by a small subset of TCRαβ thymocytes. Unlike mainstream i.e sdc1-TCRβ+ thymocytes, the majority of sdc1+ TCRβ+ thymocytes are CD4-CD8-(DN) T cells whose development is CD1d-dependent and are not reactive to αGalCer-CD1d tetramer and hence are type 2 NKT cells. Functional maturity of this subset is indicated by their production of Th2 cytokines in vitro stimulation with CD3/CD28 or CD1d beads. Sdc1 appears to play an important role in regulation of cytokine production and homing of type 2 NK T cells. Identification of sdc1 as a specific marker for type 2 NKT cells in the thymus will facilitate understanding their development.
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