胸腺外T細胞初期分化

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

We identified a novel subset of T cells, NK T cell. The NK T cells contain two distinct subsets : Valpha14NTCR^+ and Valpha14 TCR^-. Valpha14^+ NK T cells are characterized by the expression of an invariant TCRalpha encoded by Valpha14 Jalpha281 with a one-nucleotide N-region in association with Vbeta8.2 TCR.The majority of NK T cells in the periphery are Valpha14^+, while thymic NK T cells are Valpha14^-. Interestingly, only Valpha14^+ NK T cells are tightly correlated with autoimmune disease development. Moreover, Valpha14 NK T cells develop extrathmically before thymus formation at an early stages of embryogenesis, suggesting that Valpha14 NK T cells are distinct lineage from traditional T cells and control the immune system.