The Journal of Immunology, Vol 144, Issue 10 3710-3717, Copyright © 1990 by American Association of Immunologists

ARTICLES

Expansion of large granular lymphocytes in IL-2-driven 14-day-old fetal thymocytes in organ culture

J Plum, F Koning, G Leclercq, B Tison and M De Smedt
Laboratory of Bacteriology, Virology and Immunology, University of Ghent, Belgium.

These experiments were designed to evaluate the role of cytokines in early T cell development within the thymus. By using a thymic organ culture model, we have studied the influence of high dose of IL-2 (10 to 1000 IU/ml) on the cell populations that are generated during 12 days starting from a thymic rudiment of 14-day-old mouse embryo. The IL- 2 treatment resulted in the expansion of Thy-1+/-, CD4-, CD8-, CD3-, Fc gamma RII+, CD5 (Lyt-1)-, HSA-, Pgp- 1+, Mel-14- population. These cells had the morphology of large granular lymphocytes and displayed broad cytotoxic activity. In addition, IL-2-treated organ cultures had a dramatic decrease in CD4+CD8+ thymocytes, a marked reduction in TCR- alpha beta+ thymocytes--even more pronounced in the TCR-V beta 6+ and TCR-V beta 8+ thymocytes--and no significant changes in the number of TCR-gamma delta+ as compared to control organ cultures.