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Single-cell multi-omic analysis of thymocyte development reveals NFAT as adriver of CD4/CD8 lineage commitment

Steier, Z.; McIntyre, L. L.; Lutes, L. K.; Huang, T.-S.; Robey, E. A.; Yosef, N.; Streets, A.

2021-07-13 bioinformatics
10.1101/2021.07.12.452119 bioRxiv
Show abstract

The development of CD4 and CD8 T cells in the thymus is critical to adaptive immunity and is widely studied as a model of lineage commitment. Recognition of self-MHCI/II by the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) determines the lineage choice, but how distinct TCR signals drive transcriptional programs of lineage commitment remains largely unknown. We applied CITE-seq to measure RNA and surface proteins in thymocytes from wild-type and lineage-restricted mice to generate a comprehensive timeline of cell state for each lineage. These analyses revealed a sequential process whereby all thymocytes initiate CD4 lineage differentiation during an initial wave of TCR signaling, followed by a second TCR signaling wave that coincides with CD8 lineage specification. CITE-seq and pharmaceutical inhibition experiments implicate a TCR/calcineurin/NFAT/GATA3 axis in driving the CD4 fate. Overall, our data suggest that multiple redundant mechanisms contribute to the accuracy and efficiency of the lineage choice.

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