Population and single-cell genomics reveal the Aire dependency, relief from Polycomb silencing, and distribution of self-antigen expression in thymic epithelia.

ABSTRACT: Promiscuous gene expression (PGE) by thymic epithelial cells (TEC) is essential for generating a diverse T cell antigen receptor repertoire tolerant to self-antigens, and thus for avoiding autoimmunity. Nevertheless, the extent and nature of this unusual expression program within TEC populations and single cells are unknown. Using deep transcriptome sequencing of carefully identified mouse TEC subpopulations, we discovered a program of PGE that is common between medullary (m) and cortical TEC, further elaborated in mTEC, and completed in mature mTEC expressing the autoimmune regulator gene (Aire). TEC populations are capable of expressing up to 19,293 protein-coding genes, the highest number of genes known to be expressed in any cell type. Remarkably, in mouse mTEC, Aire expression alone p

SUBMITTER: Sansom SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4248310 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature