Effects of IL-7 on Rat FTOC
| Thymic Subpopulation . | . | CD3hi-Expressing Cells . |
|---|---|---|
| Control | ||
| CD4−CD8− | 0.6 ± 0.1 | 0.06 ± 0.01 |
| CD4+CD8+ | 14.9 ± 1.1 | 3.1 ± 0.3 |
| CD4+CD8− | 0.7 ± 0.1 | 0.6 ± 0.1 |
| CD4−CD8+ | 3.4 ± 0.9 | 0.8 ± 0.1 |
| Total | 19.7 ± 3.1 | |
| IL-7 | ||
| CD4−CD8− | 1.8 ± 0.2* | 0.2 ± 0.02‡ |
| CD4+CD8+ | 4.2 ± 0.4* | 2.6 ± 0.3 |
| CD4+CD8− | 0.5 ± 0.1 | 0.4 ± 0.1 |
| CD4−CD8+ | 5.4 ± 0.6† | 3.6 ± 0.3* |
| Total | 11.9 ± 3.7† |
| Thymic Subpopulation . | . | CD3hi-Expressing Cells . |
|---|---|---|
| Control | ||
| CD4−CD8− | 0.6 ± 0.1 | 0.06 ± 0.01 |
| CD4+CD8+ | 14.9 ± 1.1 | 3.1 ± 0.3 |
| CD4+CD8− | 0.7 ± 0.1 | 0.6 ± 0.1 |
| CD4−CD8+ | 3.4 ± 0.9 | 0.8 ± 0.1 |
| Total | 19.7 ± 3.1 | |
| IL-7 | ||
| CD4−CD8− | 1.8 ± 0.2* | 0.2 ± 0.02‡ |
| CD4+CD8+ | 4.2 ± 0.4* | 2.6 ± 0.3 |
| CD4+CD8− | 0.5 ± 0.1 | 0.4 ± 0.1 |
| CD4−CD8+ | 5.4 ± 0.6† | 3.6 ± 0.3* |
| Total | 11.9 ± 3.7† |
Thymic lobes from 16-day-old rat fetuses were organ-cultured in the continuous presence of IL-7. After 12 days, the recovered cells were triple-labeled for flow cytometric analysis and the expression of CD3, CD4, and CD8 was examined. Cell numbers (×10−4) of thymic subpopulations defined according to CD4/CD8 expression, and the numbers of CD3hi-expressing cells in each of those thymocyte subsets are shown. Data represent the mean ± SEM from six independent experiments.
Statistical significance differences between control and IL-7–treated FTOC: *P ≤ .001; †P ≤ .05; ‡P ≤ .01.