Prevention of anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody-induced thymic apoptosis by protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

The thymus gland is crucial for the formation of thymocytes of diverse TCR specificity. Recent studies have demonstrated that deletion (negative selection) of autoreactive thymocytes occurs through the process of apoptosis in which TCR activates cell death by DNA fragmentation. In addition, in vitro stimulation of thymocytes with anti-CD3 mAb, calcium ionophore, or glucocorticoids results in DNA fragmentation followed by cell death. The availability of various substances capable of inhibiting activation-induced programmed cell death of thymocytes may be used as a tool to help identify several important events occurring during the process of apoptosis. We investigated the effect of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors, herbimycin A and genistein, on thymocyte apoptosis induced by stimulation of anti-CD3 mAb or glucocorticoid. Anti-CD3 mAb stimulation resulted in removal of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes by DNA fragmentation. However, in PTK inhibitor-pretreated thymocytes, there was a minimal deletion of double positive thymocytes. In contrast, PTK inhibitors did not prevent glucocorticoid-induced thymic apoptosis. Our results suggest that anti-CD3 mAb-induced thymic apoptosis depends on PTK activation via TCR, and that glucocorticoid-induced thymic apoptosis is PTK-independent.