Intrathymic signals in thymocytes are mediated by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase
Sen, J.; Kapeller, R.; Fragoso, R.; Sen, R.; Zon, L.I.; Burakoff, S.J.
Journal of Immunology 156(12): 4535-4538
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-1767 PMID: 8648093 Document Number: 455619
Thymocytes develop into mature functional T cells in the inductive environment of the thymus where thymocyte-stromal cell interactions and cytokines provide survival and differentiation signals as cues for thymocyte maturation. Disruption of the thymic microenvironment results in attenuation of T cell maturation, suggesting that intrathymic signals are essential for differentiation and repertoire selection. We have previously shown that several inducible nuclear factors such as AP-1, NF-AT, and NF-kappa-B are activated in response to intrathymic signals. Here we demonstrate that in thymocytes p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, a member of the MAP kinase family of proteins that include the extracellular-signal regulated kinases and Jun amino-terminal kinases, is highly activated in response to intrathymic signals in vivo. These studies suggest a role for p38 MAP kinase in T cell survival and differentiation.