Kumar V, Hackett J, Tutt M M, Garni-Wagner B A, Kuziel W A, Tucker P W, Bennett M
Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1989;152:47-52. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-74974-2_7.
Our studies with scid mice have clarified the relationship between T cells and NK cells. C.B-17 scid mice have normal frequency of transplantable NK progenitors in their bone marrow which develop into fully functional NK cells. Spleens of scid mice contain mature NK cells which are phenotypically and functionally indistinguishable from NK cells found in normal mice. These cells retain their TCR genes in germline configuration and do not transcribe the CD3 genes. Thus, NK cells are distinct from the earliest identifiable cells committed to the T-lineage. In addition to the spleen, the thymus of scid mice also contains mature NK cells. These cells constitute a small proportion of the thymus cell population and can be clearly distinguished from the majority of cells, which have the phenotype and molecular characteristics of very early T-lineage cells. There is no evidence that NK cells within the thymus are derived in situ from a common NK/T precursor. Together these data support the hypothesis that NK cells form an independent lineage.
我们对重症联合免疫缺陷（scid）小鼠的研究阐明了T细胞与自然杀伤（NK）细胞之间的关系。C.B-17 scid小鼠骨髓中可移植NK祖细胞的频率正常，这些祖细胞可发育为功能完全正常的NK细胞。scid小鼠的脾脏含有成熟的NK细胞，其表型和功能与正常小鼠中的NK细胞无法区分。这些细胞的T细胞受体（TCR）基因保持种系构型，不转录CD3基因。因此，NK细胞不同于最早可识别的T系定向细胞。除脾脏外，scid小鼠的胸腺也含有成熟的NK细胞。这些细胞在胸腺细胞群体中占比很小，并且可以与大多数具有非常早期T系细胞表型和分子特征的细胞明显区分开来。没有证据表明胸腺内的NK细胞是由共同的NK/T前体原位衍生而来。这些数据共同支持了NK细胞形成独立谱系的假说。
