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J. Exp. Med.,
Volume 187, Number 3, February 2, 1998 357-365
/
T Cells
By
From the Department of Immunology, IMM4, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla,
California 92037
Information on the turnover and lifespan of murine 
/
cells was obtained by administering
the DNA precursor, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), in the drinking water and staining lymphoid
cells for BrdU incorporation. For TCR-/ (V2) transgenic mice, nearly all / thymocytes
became BrdU+ within 2 d and were released rapidly into the peripheral lymphoid tissues.
These recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) underwent phenotypic maturation in the periphery for
several days, but most of these cells died within 4 wk. In adult thymectomized (ATx) transgenic mice, only a small proportion of / cells survived as long-lived cells; most of these cells
had a slow turnover and retained a naive phenotype. As in transgenic mice, the majority of
RTEs generated in normal mice (C57BL/6) appeared to have a restricted lifespan as naive cells.
However, in marked contrast to TCR transgenic mice, most of the / cells surviving in ATx
normal mice had a rapid turnover and displayed an activated/memory phenotype, implying a
chronic response to environmental antigens. Hence, in normal mice many / RTEs did not
die but switched to memory cells.
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