Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0029713 (immaturity)
 4,335 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Recombinase-activating genes (RAG-1 and RAG-2) are expressed in immature T or B lymphocytes and possess activity to induce V(D)J rearrangement in TCR and Ig genes. We examined their expression in human decidual and non-pregnant endometrial samples using a highly sensitive RT-PCR technique. Expression of RAG-1 and 2 was noted in all (13/13) pregnant decidual tissues obtained at different gestational stages. After anti-human Ig treatment to rule out the possibility of RAG-1,2 expression from decidual B-cells, strong expression of RAGs was still noted in B cell depleted decidual cells in contrast to lymph nodes and PBMC that lost RAG mRNA expression after this treatment. After FACS mediated cell sorting, strong expression of RAG-1,2 was noted in CD16-CD56bright cells and weak expression in CD3+ cells. Although CD16-CD56bright cells lack surface CD3, they express CD3 epsilon mRNA only detectable by RT-PCR. Our results suggest the nature of decidual CD16-CD56bright cells as a progenitor of extrathymic T cells that possess RAG-1 and 2 mRNA as markers of their immaturity, and possibly differentiate into CD3+ extrathymic T-cells in the decidua under the influence of trophoblastic cells. We propose the human decidua as a new site of extrathymic T-cells differentiation and propose possible roles of trophoblastic cells to attract progenitor lymphocytes of bone marrow origin and trigger their TCR rearrangement as thymic epithelial cells.
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PMID:Expression of recombinase-activating genes (RAG-1 and 2) in human decidual mononuclear cells. 796 56

Various studies have provided evidence that peripheral T-cells from the diabetes-prone BB-DP rat are abnormal in function and cell surface phenotype. These characteristics have often been interpreted as indicators of immaturity and/or short life span. In this study, we describe a CD4-dependent signaling abnormality in BB-DP peripheral T-cells. In spite of the fact that CD4 plays a critical role in thymocyte development, the abnormal signaling does not appear to influence thymocyte development at the stage when the T-cell receptor is rearranged and the recombinase enzymes RAG-1 and RAG-2 transcripts are downregulated. Therefore, if a maturation defect leading to the seeding of the periphery with immature T-cells occurs in the BB-DP rat, it does not preclude the initial selection of the self major histocompatibility complex-restricted T-cell repertoire.
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PMID:Peculiar T-cell signaling does not preclude positive selection in the diabetes-prone BB rat. 826 16