AN IMMUNOHISTOLOGIC ANALYSIS OF MURINE UTERINE T-CELLS BETWEEN BIRTH AND PUBERTY

Murine uterine T cells were analysed on the basis of surface phenotype expression from birth to adulthood. T cells were rare in the uterus f rom birth until 2 weeks of age. In genetically immunocompetent mice, m ature T cells expressing either TCR alpha/beta or TCR gamma/delta were first present as a major cell population at 3 weeks of age. The ratio of TCR alpha/beta to TCR gamma/delta was 1:1 at 3 weeks of age and th is ratio did not change during sexual maturation. Almost all uterine T cells were CD8+ and the majority of these cells expressed CD8alpha/be ta rather than CD8alpha/alpha. Cells expressing Thy1.2 were less frequ ent than cells expressing CD3 while cells expressing CD5 were rare. No major changes in T cell subsets occurred at puberty. Further, the mic robial flora of the mice did not alter the time of appearance, frequen cy or subset distribution of uterine TCR+ cells. In the uteri of immun odeficient mice of genotype scid/scid TCR+ cells were found in low num bers and the initial appearance of TCR+ cells was delayed until 5 week s of age.