Loss of T cell precursors after spaceflight and exposure to vector‐averaged gravity

CC Woods, KE Banks, R Gruener… - The FASEB …, 2003 - Wiley Online Library
CC Woods, KE Banks, R Gruener, D DeLuca
The FASEB journal, 2003Wiley Online Library
Using fetal thymus organ culture (FTOC), we examined the effects of spaceflight and vector‐
averaged gravity on T cell development. Under both conditions, the development of T cells
was significantly attenuated. Exposure to spaceflight for 16 days resulted in a loss of
precursors for CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+ CD8+ T cells in a rat/mouse xenogeneic co‐culture.
A significant decrease in the same precursor cells, as well as a decrease in CD4‐CD8‐T cell
precursors, was also observed in a murine C57BL/6 FTOC after rotation in a clinostat to …
Abstract
Using fetal thymus organ culture (FTOC), we examined the effects of spaceflight and vector‐averaged gravity on T cell development. Under both conditions, the development of T cells was significantly attenuated. Exposure to spaceflight for 16 days resulted in a loss of precursors for CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+CD8+ T cells in a rat/mouse xenogeneic co‐culture. A significant decrease in the same precursor cells, as well as a decrease in CD4CD8 T cell precursors, was also observed in a murine C57BL/6 FTOC after rotation in a clinostat to produce a vector‐averaged microgravity‐like environment. The block in T cell development appeared to occur between the pre‐T cell and CD4+CD8+ T cell stage. These data indicate that gravity plays a decisive role in the development of T cells.
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