Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?
Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of Graph Search.
Concept
Naive T cell
Summary
In immunology, a naive T cell (Th0 cell) is a T cell that has differentiated in the thymus, and successfully undergone the positive and negative processes of central selection in the thymus. Among these are the naive forms of helper T cells (CD4+) and cytotoxic T cells (CD8+). Any naive T cell is considered immature and, unlike activated or memory T cells, has not encountered its cognate antigen within the periphery. After this encounter, the naive T cell is considered a mature T cell.
Naive T cells are commonly characterized by the surface expression of L-selectin (CD62L) and C-C Chemokine receptor type 7 (CCR7); the absence of the activation markers CD25, CD44 or CD69; and the absence of memory CD45RO isoform. They also express functional IL-7 receptors, consisting of subunits IL-7 receptor-α, CD127, and common-γ chain, CD132. In the naive state, T cells are thought to require the common-gamma chain cytokines IL-7 and IL-15 for homeostatic survival mechanisms. While naive T cells are regularly regarded as a developmentally synchronized and fairly homogeneous and quiescent cell population, only differing in T cell receptor specificity, there is increasing evidence that naive T cells are actually heterogeneous in phenotype, function, dynamics and differentiation status, resulting in a whole spectrum of naive cells with different properties. For instance, some non-naive T cells express surface markers similar to naive T cells (Tscm, stem cell memory T cells; Tmp, memory T cells with a naive phenotype), some antigen-naive T cells have lost their naive phenotype, and some T cells are incorporated within the naive T cell phenotype but are a different T cell subset (Treg, regulatory T cells; RTE, Recent Thymic emigrant). It is important to appreciate these differences when assessing naive T cells. Majority of human naive T cells are produced very early in life when infant's thymus is large and functional.
Official source
About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.