We found that the total number of thymocytes was significantly reduced in 2- to 10-wk-old LAR-deficient mice compared with age-matched WT mice. Furthermore, the number of DN thymocytes was increased in LAR-deficient mice, while the number of DP thymocytes was decreased. When the effect of LAR deficiency was examined in HY-TCR-Tg mice, negative selection, as well as positive selection was affected in LAR−/−HY-TCR-Tg mice. see more We also found that the TCR-mediated intracellular Ca2+ response was hampered in LAR-deficient thymocytes compared with

control thymocytes in vitro. These results suggest that LAR may play important roles in the differentiation and maturation of thymocytes. In LAR-deficient mice, the total number of thymocytes was significantly reduced compared with WT mice (Fig. 1). This may be due to a partial defect in DN thymocyte differentiation into DP thymocytes,

as shown in Fig. 2. Signaling by the pre-TCR complex, which consists of pTα and TCRβ, is prerequisite (β-selection 22) for the differentiation of DN thymocytes to DP thymocytes and for their expansion. The expression of LAR/IMT-1 on thymocytes during the DN3 stage coincides with the expression of the pre-TCR complex 18. Pre-TCR signals are controlled with Lck and Fyn src-family kinases, and deletion of Lck and Fyn severely suppressed selleck screening library thymocyte development at the pre-TCR stage 11, 23. Tyrosine-dephosphorylation is a key step for Lck and Fyn activation 24, and Tsujikawa et al. showed that LAR could be involved in that step 12. Taken together, LAR might be involved in the regulation of pre-TCR signals in DN thymocytes by activating Lck and Fyn. The deletion of phosphatase domain of LAR may result in the pre-TCR signal deficiency and the following impairment of DN thymocyte differentiation into DP thymocytes, leading to increase in DN and decrease Methocarbamol in DP thymocyte population. CD45-deficient mice also showed a partial disruption of the transition from DN to DP thymocytes 25, 26. In contrast, the DN-to-DP transition is completely

blocked in Lck/Fyn double knockout mice 11. One of the possible reasons why LAR and CD45 deficiency resulted in only a partial defect in thymocyte differentiation is that other PTP might compensate for the defects. To examine this possibility, we generated LAR−/−CD45−/− mice and examined the CD4 and CD8 expression profiles. We did not observe a complete block in the DN-to-DP transition in LAR−/−CD45−/− mice (Supporting Information Fig. 7). Since there are other LAR family members 27, other PTP may compensate for LAR function. In HY-TCR-Tg mice, the differentiation of DP thymocytes is skewed toward CD8SP thymocytes by positive selection in female mice and the number and the percentage of DP cells is decreased by negative selection in male mice 21, 28.