γ/δ Cells in Fetal, Neonatal, and Adult Rat Lymphoid Organs

In the present study, we have analyzed the appearance and maturation of γ/δ T cells, recognized with a new mAb V65, in the central and peripheral lymphoid organs of fetal, neonatal, and adult Wistar rats. Cytofluorometrical analysis demonstrated the first V65(+) γ/δ T cells in the thymus of 16-17-day embryonic rats, although by immunohistology, they were identified only in 19-day rat embryos in both the cortico-medullary border and thymic medulla. Phenotypically, γ/δ thymocytes from fetal and neonatal thymus expressed CD3, CD2, and CD5, but only 60-80% were CD8(+) and approximately 40-50% expressed the α chain (p55) of the IL-2R. In the periphery, the immunohistological study identified for the first time ,γ/δ T cells in the splenic white pulp and the gut of 21-day fetal rats, where they occurred within the epithelium as well as in the lamina propria. After birth, γ/δ lymphocytes appeared in the skin, where they were present as dendritic epidermal T cells in increasing numbers during postnatal life. Whereas these γ/δ T cells formed the predominant T-cell population in the rat skin, γ/δ T cells in peripheral lymphoid organs, BALT, or the gut only represented a minor T-cell population. These results are discussed in comparison to γ/δ T cells of other vertebrate species.