Single-cell multiomic analysis of thymocyte development reveals drivers of CD4+ T cell and CD8+ T cell lineage commitment

  • Zoë Steier (Shared first author)
  • Dominik A Aylard (Shared first author)
  • Laura L McIntyre
  • Isabel Baldwin
  • Esther Jeong Yoon Kim
  • Lydia K Lutes
  • Can Ergen
  • Tse-Shun Huang
  • Ellen A Robey
  • Nir Yosef
  • Aaron Streets

Abstract

The development of CD4+ T cells 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-peptide major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II by the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) determines the CD8+ or CD4+ T cell lineage choice, respectively, but how distinct TCR signals drive transcriptional programs of lineage commitment remains largely unknown. Here we applied CITE-seq to measure RNA and surface proteins in thymocytes from wild-type and T cell lineage-restricted mice to generate a comprehensive timeline of cell states for each T cell lineage. These analyses identified a sequential process whereby all thymocytes initiate CD4+ T cell lineage differentiation during a first wave of TCR signaling, followed by a second TCR signaling wave that coincides with CD8+ T cell lineage specification. CITE-seq and pharmaceutical inhibition experiments implicated a TCR-calcineurin-NFAT-GATA3 axis in driving the CD4+ T cell fate. Our data provide a resource for understanding cell fate decisions and implicate a sequential selection process in guiding lineage choice.

Bibliographical data

Original languageEnglish
ISSN1529-2908
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 09.2023
Externally publishedYes
PubMed 37580604