T cells, also called T lymphocytes and thymocytes, are an important part of the immune system, developing from stem cells in the bone marrow, and they help protect the body from infection and may help fight cancer. CD Genomics offers immunomics services for T cells to help our clients decipher the immune response process.
T cells originate from lymphoid progenitor cells with the ability to transport from bone marrow to the thymus. T cell development here includes T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated selection and maturation into naïve T cells. Lymphangiogenesis begins with progenitor cells expressing CD2, CD5, CD7, and cytoplasmic CD3, which have the capacity to enter the thymic cortex. At this point, TCRs form after rearrangement of the α, β, γ, and δ chains to form T cells with γδ chains (T-γδ) and T cells with αβ chains (T-αβ).
Fig.1 Discriminating T cells from their relatives. (Mousset, C. M., et al., 2019)
Interacting with the MHC class I complex leads to a single expression or peptide of CD8, while the complex with MHC class II leads to a single expression of CD4. T-αβ then migrates from the thymic cortex to the medulla for negative clonal selection to remove T cells with high affinity for self-antigens. Finally, mature single-positive CD4+ and CD8+ T-αβ cells are released into the bloodstream. A small fraction (approximately 1%) of peripheral blood T-αβ cells do not express CD4 or CD8 and are referred to as double-negative (DN) T-αβ cells.
Fig.2 Identification of CD4+ and CD8+ T-αβ subsets. (Mousset, C. M., et al., 2019)
The immune pool present in the T-cell receptor (TCR) varies greatly among individuals. Sequencing the TCR pool facilitates the understanding immune response process to disease and helps to maintain the benign of the disease.
T-cell compartments form a strong defense against external pathogens and internal malignant cells. At the same time, specific subpopulations of T cells control this process, keeping the immune system under control and preventing autoimmunity. CD Genomics offers several types of immunomics services to help clients perform comprehensive phenotyping of T-cell subsets of interest.
CD Genomics is focused on helping clients explore T cell classes of interest and their unique role in the immune process. Our immunomics services will help you address bottlenecks in your project and provide you with the key insights needed to advance your research. Please contact us for more information.
