Abstract
The involvement of the tumor suppressor protein, p53, in thymic epithelial cell-induced apoptosis of CD4+8+ (double positive) thymocytes, was studied in an in vitro model consisting of a thymic epithelial cell line (TEC) and thymocytes. p53 expression was not augmented in double positive (DP) thymocytes upon co-culturing with TEC, although extensive apoptosis was observed. In the same cells, p53 expression was upregulated in response to low ionizing irradiation, which was accompanied with massive apoptosis. Moreover, TEC induced apoptosis in two DP thymomas, derived from p53(−/−) mice, and in a double positive thymoma clone expressing mutant p53. The extent and kinetics of TEC-induced apoptosis was not affected by the status of p53 in the thymocytes tested. We conclude that thymic epithelial cell-induced apoptosis of immature DP thymocytes is p53-independent and apparently, involves a different apoptotic pathway than that triggered by DNA damage.
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Abbreviations
- TEC:
-
thymic epithelial cell line
- TE:
-
thymic epithelial cells
- RadLV:
-
radiation leukemia virus
- TcR:
-
T cell receptor
- FITC:
-
fluorescein isothiocyanate
- PE:
-
phycoerythrine
- DP:
-
double positive
- DN:
-
double negative
- PI:
-
propidium iodide
- GC:
-
glucocorticoids
- WT:
-
wild type
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Acknowledgements
We thank A Dorogin for expert technical assistance. This study was supported by grants from The Israeli Ministry of Health and the Concern Foundation II, Los Angeles, California.
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Rosenheimer-Goudsmid, N., Haupt, Y., Yefenof, E. et al. p53 and thymic ‘death by neglect’: thymic epithelial cell-induced apoptosis of CD4+8+ thymocytes is p53-independent. Cell Death Differ 7, 241–249 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.cdd.4400657
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.cdd.4400657
