Enrichment for a thymocyte subset having progenitor cell activity using c-kit as a selection marker
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorsKoichi Akashi, Irving Weissman
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Abstract
A subpopulation in the CD4.sup.+ 8.sup.+ (DP) thymic blast population is identified that is the precursor for thymic T cells. All such progenitors are c-kit.sup.+. The c-kit.sup.+ subset expresses lower levels of CD4 and CD8 than the large and small DP c-kit- cells. These DP.sup.int c-kit.sup.+ cells differentiate to thymic T cells rapidly on heterogenous thymic stromal cell cultures. Similar maturation takes place in vivo over 4 days. A method for isolating the cells which are c-kit.sup.+ and which express intermediate or low levels of CD4+/CD8+ is also disclosed.
Claims8
A population of mammalian T lineage progenitor cells, wherein at least 95% of the cells in said population are thymocyte blast cells characterized as expressing intermediate levels of CD8, intermediate levels of CD4 and high levels of c-kit, wherein said cells express high levels of bcl-2.
A method of enrichment to provide a population of mammalian T lineage progenitor cells, wherein at least 95% of the cells in said population are thymocytes characterized as expressing intermediate levels of CD8, intermediate levels of CD4 and high levels of c-kit, the method comprising:
- combining thymocytes with antibodies that specifically recognize each of c-kit, CD4, and CD8;
- and
- selecting by flow cytometry for blast cells that express intermediate levels of CD8, intermediate levels of CD4 and high levels of c-kit, wherein said cells express high levels of bcl-2, to provide a population of mammalian T lineage progenitor cells.
A population of mammalian T lineage progenitor cells, wherein at least 95% of the cells in said population are thymocyte blast cells characterized as expressing low levels of CD8, low levels of CD4 and high levels of c-kit, wherein said cells express high levels of bcl-2.
A method of enrichment to provide a population of mammalian T lineage progenitor cells, wherein at least 95% of the cells in said population are thymocytes characterized as expressing low levels of CD8, low levels of CD4 and high levels of c-kit, the method comprising:
- combining thymocytes with antibodies that specifically recognize each of c-kit, CD4, and CD8;
- and
- selecting by flow cytometry for those blast cells that express low levels of CD8, low levels of CD4 and high levels of c-kit, wherein said cells express high levels of bcl-2. to provide a population of mammalian T lineage progenitor cells.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.