Editor's Statement Thymocyte-thymic epithelial cell interaction and its effect on T cell maturation has been postulated by a number of people. The studies on specific homing proteins and adherence molecules provide improtant information on the maturation and migration of T lymphocytes. This article provides clean and convincing evidence for the role of such specific glycoprotein TMF.
Summary
Thymic stromal cells were cultured in conditions which select for epithelial cells. These were then transformed in vitro by contact with N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and cloned at limit dilution. One of the clones was characterized as being of medullary origin on the basis of its reactivity with a battery of antibodies previously shown to distinguish cortical from medullary thymic epithelial cells. The importance of this clone lies in the potential it offers to delineate how various T cell subpopulations acquire their distinct markers and function within the thymus.
References
Beardsley, T.R.; Pierschbacher, M.; Wetzel, G. D.; Hays, E. F. Induction of T-cell maturation by a cloned line of thymic epithelium (TEPI) Proc. Natl. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 80:6005–6009; 1983.
Boniver, J.; Decleve, A.; Dailey, M. O.; Hensink, C.; Lieberman, M.; Kaplan, H. S. Marcophage and lymphocyte-depleted thymus reticuloepithelial cell cultures: establishment and functional influence on T-lymphocyte maturation, C-type virus expression and lymphomatous transformationin vitro Thymus 2:193–213; 1981.
Gorczynski, R. M.; MacRae, S. Differentiation of functionally active mouse T-lymphocytes from functionally inactive bone marrow precursors. III Induction of T-cell activities by growth of bone-marrow on feeder layers prepared from mouse thymocytes Immunology 38:1–12; 1979.
Itoh, T. Establishment of an epithelial cell line from rat thymus. Am. J. Anat. 156:99–104; 1979.
Kisielow, P.; Hirst, J. A.; Shiku, J. A.; Beverley, P. C. L.; Hoffmann, M. K.; Boyse, E. A.; Oeltgen, H. F. Ly antigens as markers for functionally distinct subpopulations of thymusderived lymphocytes of the mouse Nature 253:219–220; 1975.
Scheffer, C. G. T.; Jarvinen, M. J.; Nelson, W. G.; Huang, J.-W.; Woodcock-Mitchell, J.; Sun, T. T. Correlation of specific keratins with different types of epithelial differentiation: monoclonal antibody studies. Cell 30:361–372; 1982.
Steele, V. E.; Marchok, A. C.; Nettesheim, P. Transformation of tracheal epithelium exposedin vitro to N-Methyl-N′-Nitro-N-Nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). Int. J. Cancer 20:234–238; 1977.
Trainin, N., Thymic hormones and immune response. Physiol. Rev. 54:272–315; 1974.
Van Ewijk, W.; Rouse, R. V.; Weissman, I. L. Distribution of H-2 microenivroments in the mouse thymus. Immunoelectron microscopic identification of I-A and H-2K bearing cells. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 28: 1089–1099; 1980.
Van Vliet, E.; Melis, M.; Van Ewijk, W. Monoclonal antibodies to stromal cell types of the mouse thymus. Eur. J. Immunol. 14:524–529; 1984.
Zelechowska, M. G.; Lecomte, J.; Potoworoski, E. F. Immunocytochemical localization of a medullary thymic epithelial glycoprotein. Scand. J. Immunol. 23:561–565; 1986.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada and the National Cancer Institute of Canada
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Potworwoski, E.F., Turcotte, F., Beauchemin, C. et al. Establishment and characterization of a thymic medullary epithelial cell clone. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol 22, 557–560 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02621143
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02621143