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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1995 Jun 20;92(13):6147–6151. doi: 10.1073/pnas.92.13.6147

Homeostatic regulation of intestinal epithelia by intraepithelial gamma delta T cells.

H Komano 1, Y Fujiura 1, M Kawaguchi 1, S Matsumoto 1, Y Hashimoto 1, S Obana 1, P Mombaerts 1, S Tonegawa 1, H Yamamoto 1, S Itohara 1, et al.
PMCID: PMC41659  PMID: 7597094

Abstract

Although T cells bearing gamma delta T-cell receptors have long been known to be present in the epithelial lining of many organs, their specificity and function remain elusive. In the present study, we examined the intestinal epithelia of T-cell-receptor mutant mice, which were deficient in either gamma delta T cells or alpha beta T cells, and of normal littermates. The absence of gamma delta T cells was associated with a reduction in epithelial cell turnover and a downregulation of the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II molecules. No such effects were observed in alpha beta T-cell-deficient mice. These findings indicate that intraepithelial gamma delta T cells regulate the generation and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells.

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Selected References

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