Development of innate T cells in the thymus under infectious/inflammatory systemic conditions

CERBAN FABIO; BAEZ NATALIA; MARIA CECILIA RODRIGUEZ GALAN; CONSTANZA SAVID FRONTERA

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LXIV REUNIÓN ANUAL DE LA SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE INMUNOLOGÍA (SAI); 2016

Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología

Our previous work demonstrated that during the acute stage of certain infections (Trypanosoma cruzi or Candida albicans) with a strong Th1 component, the number of CD8+CD44hi T cells in the thymus increased. These cells are named ?innate T cells? and belong to a different lineage from conventional SP CD8 thymocytes that give rise in the thymus. They express the transcription factor EOMES, produce high levels of IFN and differentiate in the presence of IL4 and IL15. The appearance of these cells in the thymus is mediated by the inflammatory process triggered during the infections since we observe similar data when we induce systemic expression of IL12 and IL18 by hydrodynamic injection of their cDNAs. Our flow cytometry data demonstrated that these cells express the killing receptor NKG2D and have high cytotoxic activity measured by CD107a expression assay (p