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In vitro enhancing effects of thymic dendritic cells on apoptotic cell death of thymocytes

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Abstract

Using terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and propidium iodide-DNA staining flow cytometry assay, the effects of mouse thymic dendritic cells (MTSC4) on the process of programmed cell death of thymocytesin vitro were investigated. It was noticed that thymocytes bound to MTSC4 used in this study. That the percentages of apoptotic nuclei of the bound thymocytes on MTSC4 were much higher than those of medium-cultured thymocytes, while the bound thymocytes on mouse thymic epithelial cell (MTEC1) showed much lower percentages of apoptosis. FACS analysis quantitatively confirmed the observation. Phenotype analysis showed that MTSC4 induced the deletion of CD4 + CD8 + cells and CD4 + CD8-.cells in 18 h of coculture. The results suggest that the negative selection of medullary thymocytes may be achieved by thymic dendritic cells through their enhancing effects on apoptosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. T Cell Laboratory, Department of Immunology, Beijing Medical University, China

    Haidong Dong, Jing Chen & Weifeng Chen

  2. Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Ministry of Public Health, 100083, Beijing, China

    Haidong Dong, Jing Chen & Weifeng Chen

Authors
  1. Haidong Dong
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  2. Jing Chen
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  3. Weifeng Chen
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Additional information

Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.39670685) and FokYin Tung Education Foundation.

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Dong, H., Chen, J. & Chen, W. In vitro enhancing effects of thymic dendritic cells on apoptotic cell death of thymocytes. Sci. China Ser. C.-Life Sci. 41, 87–92 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02882710

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02882710

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