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Showing papers by "Toshiaki Ohteki published in 2001"


Journal ArticleDOI
05 May 2001-Immunity
TL;DR: PTEN, a tumor suppressor gene, is essential for embryogenesis and an important regulator of T cell homeostasis and self-tolerance in Pten(flox/-) mice.

588 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Toshiaki Ohteki1, Kazutomo Suzue1, Chikako Maki1, Takayuki Ota1, Shigeo Koyasu1 
TL;DR: It is shown that the IL-15–IL-15R interaction is critical in early activation of antigen-presenting cells and plays an important role in the innate immune system.
Abstract: Activation of dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages by infectious agents leads to secretion of interleukin 12 (IL-12), which subsequently induces interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by multiple cell types that include DCs and macrophages. In turn, IFN-gamma acts on macrophages to augment IL-12 secretion and to produce nitric oxide (NO), which eradicates infected microbes. We show here that in cytokine common gamma subunit-deficient and/or IL-2 receptor beta-deficient mice, production of IL-12, IFN-gamma and NO by DCs and macrophages was severely impaired, as was up-regulation of major histocompatibility complex class II and CD40. Similar phenotypes were observed in DCs and macrophages from IL-15-deficient mice but not in those from IL-2-deficient mice. This shows that the IL-15-IL-15R interaction is critical in early activation of antigen-presenting cells and plays an important role in the innate immune system.

187 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that endogenous Bcl-2 expression is substantially reduced in IRF-1−/−CD8+ thymocytes and that introduction of a human B cl-2 transgene driven by Eμ or lck promoter in IRf-1+/− mice restores the CD8+ T cell development.
Abstract: Mice lacking IFN-regulatory factor (IRF)-1 have reduced numbers of mature CD8+ T cells within the thymus and peripheral lymphoid organs, suggesting a critical role of IRF-1 in CD8(+) T cell differentiation. Here we show that endogenous Bcl-2 expression is substantially reduced in IRF-1(-/-)CD8+ thymocytes and that introduction of a human Bcl-2 transgene driven by Emu or lck promoter in IRF-1(-/-) mice restores the CD8(+) T cell development. Restored CD8+ T cells are functionally mature in terms of allogeneic MLR and cytokine production. In contrast to thymus-derived CD8+ T cells, other lymphocyte subsets including NK, NK T, and TCR-gammadelta(+) intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes, which are also impaired in IRF-1(-/-) mice, are not rescued by expressing human Bcl-2. Our results indicate that IRF-1 differentially regulates the development of these lymphocyte subsets and that survival signals involving Bcl-2 are critical for the development of thymus-dependent CD8+ T cells.

16 citations