Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22378041›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of clinical investigation2012

Evidence for a stepwise program of extrathymic T cell development within the human tonsil.

Susan McClory, Tiffany Hughes, Aharon G Freud, Edward L Briercheck, Chelsea Martin, Anthony J Trimboli, Jianhua Yu, Xiaoli Zhang, Gustavo Leone, Gerard Nuovo and 1 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of clinical investigation, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
50citing papers in PubMed
4.2field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

50 citing papers in PubMed, 92 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Pilot study of intratonsillar immunotherapy for timothy grass pollen.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Theranostics · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Human natural killer cells: Form, function, and development.The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 2023
    Review
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Susan McCloryMedical Scientist Training Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Tiffany Hughes
Aharon G Freud
Edward L Briercheck
Chelsea Martin
Anthony J Trimboli
Jianhua Yu
Xiaoli Zhang
Gustavo Leone
Gerard Nuovo
Michael A Caligiuri
The Ohio State University · US

Funding

TWO SIGNAL REQUIREMENT FOR NATURAL KILLER IMMUNITYP01CA095426 · NCI · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI CALIGIURI, MICHAEL A · 2002 to 2016
$29.6M
IL-15--CHARACTERIZATION THROUGH EXPERIMENTAL IMMUNOLOGYR01CA068458 · NCI · ROSWELL PARK CANCER INSTITUTE · PI CALIGIURI, MICHAEL A, YU, JIANHUA · 1996 to 2019
$4.5M
IL-15 characterization through experimental immunologyR37CA068458 · NCI · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI CALIGIURI, MICHAEL A · 2010 to 2014
$1.4M
NCI NIH HHS CA68458NCI NIH HHS CA95426NCI NIH HHS P01 CA095426NCI NIH HHS R01 CA068458NCI NIH HHS R37 CA068458
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The development of a broad repertoire of T cells, which is essential for effective immune function, occurs in the thymus. Although some data suggest that T cell development can occur extrathymically, many researchers remain skeptical that extrathymic T cell development has an important role in generating the T cell repertoire in healthy individuals. However, it may be important in the setting of poor thymic function or congenital deficit and in the context of autoimmunity, cancer, or regenerative medicine. Here, we report evidence that a stepwise program of T cell development occurs within the human tonsil. We identified 5 tonsillar T cell developmental intermediates: (a) CD34⁺CD38dimLin⁻ cells, which resemble multipotent progenitors in the bone marrow and thymus; (b) more mature CD34⁺CD38brightLin⁻ cells; (c) CD34⁺CD1a⁺CD11c⁻ cells, which resemble committed T cell lineage precursors in the thymus; (d) CD34⁻CD1a⁺CD3⁻CD11c⁻ cells, which resemble CD4⁺CD8⁺ double-positive T cells in the thymus; and (e) CD34⁻CD1a⁺CD3⁺CD11c⁻ cells. The phenotype of each subset closely resembled that of its thymic counterpart. The last 4 populations expressed RAG1 and PTCRA, genes required for TCR rearrangement, and all 5 subsets were capable of ex vivo T cell differentiation. TdT⁺ cells found within the tonsillar fibrous scaffold expressed CD34 and/or CD1a, indicating that this distinct anatomic region contributes to pre-T cell development, as does the subcapsular region of the thymus. Thus, we provide evidence of a role for the human tonsil in a comprehensive program of extrathymic T cell development.

Indexed as

LymphopoiesisAntigens, CDAntigens, Differentiation, T-LymphocyteCell LineageHematopoietic Stem CellsHomeodomain ProteinsHumansImmunophenotypingKiller Cells, NaturalMembrane GlycoproteinsOrgan SpecificityPalatine TonsilReceptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-betaStem Cell NicheThymus GlandT-Lymphocyte SubsetsAntigens, CDAntigens, Differentiation, T-LymphocyteHomeodomain ProteinsMembrane Glycoproteinspre-T cell receptor alphaRAG-1 proteinReceptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta

Identifiers

PMID22378041
PMCPMC3314444
OpenAlexW2164900275

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.