PLoS ONE (Nov 2009)

Visualization and identification of IL-7 producing cells in reporter mice.

  • Renata I Mazzucchelli,
  • Søren Warming,
  • Scott M Lawrence,
  • Masaru Ishii,
  • Mehrnoosh Abshari,
  • A Valance Washington,
  • Lionel Feigenbaum,
  • Andrew C Warner,
  • Davis J Sims,
  • Wen Qing Li,
  • Julie A Hixon,
  • Daniel H D Gray,
  • Benjamin E Rich,
  • Matthew Morrow,
  • Miriam R Anver,
  • James Cherry,
  • Dieter Naf,
  • Lawrence R Sternberg,
  • Daniel W McVicar,
  • Andrew G Farr,
  • Ronald N Germain,
  • Keith Rogers,
  • Nancy A Jenkins,
  • Neal G Copeland,
  • Scott K Durum

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0007637
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 11
p. e7637

Abstract

Read online

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is required for lymphocyte development and homeostasis although the actual sites of IL-7 production have never been clearly identified. We produced a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mouse expressing ECFP in the Il7 locus. The construct lacked a signal peptide and ECFP (enhanced cyan fluorescent protein) accumulated inside IL-7-producing stromal cells in thoracic thymus, cervical thymus and bone marrow. In thymus, an extensive reticular network of IL-7-containing processes extended from cortical and medullary epithelial cells, closely contacting thymocytes. Central memory CD8 T cells, which require IL-7 and home to bone marrow, physically associated with IL-7-producing cells as we demonstrate by intravital imaging.