Thymocytes can tolerize thymocytes by clonal deletion in vitro

Clonal deletion of thymocytes bearing TCR for self antigens is one major mechanism of T cell tolerance induction. Peptide antigen-induced deletion of thymocytes from alpha beta TCR transgenic mice has been studied using single cell suspension cultures. The results show that antigen-presenting immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes can tolerize antigen-reactive immature thymocytes in vitro by programmed cell death (apoptosis) 6-8 h after antigen exposure. Antigen-induced apoptosis of immature thymocytes was inhibited by antibodies specific for the alpha beta TCR, CD3, CD8, and LFA-1 molecules. This implies that clonal elimination of self-reactive CD4+CD8+ thymocytes does not depend on specialized deleting cell types in the thymus and occurs whenever the TCR of immature thymocytes bind antigen fragments presented by MHC molecules.