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Bone morphogenetic protein‐2/4 signalling pathway components are expressed in the human thymus and inhibit early T‐cell development
Author(s) -
Cejalvo Teresa,
Sacedón Rosa,
HernándezLópez Carmen,
Diez Blanca,
GutierrezFrías Cruz,
Valencia Jaris,
Zapata Agustín G.,
Varas Alberto,
Vicente Angeles
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2007.02541.x
Subject(s) - microbiology and biotechnology , bone morphogenetic protein , biology , bone morphogenetic protein 2 , bone morphogenetic protein 4 , bone morphogenetic protein receptor , progenitor cell , cellular differentiation , cd8 , receptor , cd34 , bone morphogenetic protein 6 , t cell , stem cell , immunology , bone morphogenetic protein 7 , immune system , in vitro , gene , genetics
Summary T‐cell differentiation is driven by a complex network of signals mainly derived from the thymic epithelium. In this study we demonstrate in the human thymus that cortical epithelial cells produce bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and BMP4 and that both thymocytes and thymic epithelium express all the molecular machinery required for a response to these proteins. BMP receptors, BMPRIA and BMPRII, are mainly expressed by cortical thymocytes while BMPRIB is expressed in the majority of the human thymocytes. Some thymic epithelial cells from cortical and medullary areas express BMP receptors, being also cell targets for in vivo BMP2/4 signalling. The treatment with BMP4 of chimeric human–mouse fetal thymic organ cultures seeded with CD34 + human thymic progenitors results in reduced cell recovery and inhibition of the differentiation of human thymocytes from CD4 − CD8 − to CD4 + CD8 + cell stages. These results support a role for BMP2/4 signalling in human T‐cell differentiation.