Integrin CD103 reveals a distinct developmental pathway of autoreactive thymocytes in TCR transgenic mice.

ABSTRACT: Clonal deletion through negative selection is critical to eliminate autoreactive T cells in the thymus. Negative selection, however, is imperfect such that some autoreactive thymocytes can escape thymic deletion and successfully populate peripheral tissues. This is also the case for autoreactive 2D2 TCR transgenic T cells, a widely employed mouse model in studying the pathogenesis of CD4 T cell-mediated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. How autoreactive 2D2 thymocytes evade negative selection, however, remains incompletely understood. Here we show that negative selection of MHC-II-restricted thymocytes, specifically 2D2 TCR transgenic T cells, is associated with the induction of integrin CD103, and that forced expression of CD103 downregulates CXCR4 expression, alters intra-thymic

SUBMITTER: Liman N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12274481 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature