Differential requirement for RhoH in development of TCRαβ CD8αα IELs and other types of T cells.

RhoH is a new member of the atypical G proteins exclusively expressed in hematopoietic lineage cells. It has been shown to act as an adaptor for ZAP70, Syk, Lck and Csk kinases in signal transduction, and is required for positive selection of thymocytes as well as activation of peripheral T cells and mast cells. In the present study, we showed that RhoH is required not only for positive selection but also for negative selection of thymocytes. Regarding development of unconventional T cell subsets, development of NKT and regulatory T cells was also inhibited, whereas development of TCRαβ CD8αα intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) was not affected by the absence of RhoH. TCR-dependent in vitro activation of TCRαβ CD8αα IEL required RhoH, suggesting that overall development of IEL does not critically depend on TCR signaling but more on cytokine-dependent expansion and survival in the periphery. Our current results indicate differential requirements for RhoH in the development of TCRαβ CD8αα IELs compared to other subsets of T cells including agonist selected T cells.

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