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Brief Definitive Report |
/
T Cell Receptor
/ß+ Cells in Murine Intestinal Intraepithelial Lymphocytes
Correspondence to: Charles A. Janeway, Jr., Section of Immunobiology, P.O. Box 208011, LH416, 310 Cedar St., New Haven, CT 06520-8011. Tel:203-785-2793 Fax:203-737-1765
Murine intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (iIELs) are made up of a heterogeneous mix of T cells with unique phenotypes. Whereas CD8+ T cells in peripheral lymphoid organs use CD8
/ß and are selected on MHC class Ia molecules, a majority of iIELs use CD8
/
. Here, we report that the presence of CD8
/
TCR-
/ß cells in iIELs is independent of classical MHC class I molecules Kb and Db, as illustrated by their presence in Kb/Db double-knockout mice and in mice lacking a nonclassical MHC class I molecule, CD1d. Most strikingly, their presence is decreased by
70% in mice lacking transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP). The TAP-dependent nonclassical MHC class I molecule Qa-2 is strongly implicated in the presence of these cells, as inferred from the low numbers of CD8
/
TCR-
/ß T cells in mice deficient in Qa-2 genes. Second, a Qa-2transgenic mouse made in a Qa-2- strain showed an increase in the numbers of CD8
/
cells among its iIELs. Thus, the presence of CD8
/
TCR-
/ß cells in iIELs is mainly dependent on the nonclassical MHC class I molecule Qa-2.
Key Words:
CD8
/
TCR-
/ß cells, MHC class Ideficient mice, Qa-2transgenic mice, Qa-2deficient mice, intestinal intraepithelial lymphocyte
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