Volume 15, No 10, Oct 2005

ISSN: 1001-0602 
EISSN: 1748-7838 2018 
impact factor 17.848* 
(Clarivate Analytics, 2019)

Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2005: 749-769

REVIEWS

The role of apoptosis in the development and function of T lymphocytes

Nu ZHANG, Heather HARTIG, Ivan DZHAGALOV, David DRAPER, You Wen HE*

Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA Correspondence: You Wen HE(he000004@mc.duke.edu)

Apoptosis plays an essential role in T cell biology. Thymocytes expressing nonfunctional or autoreactive TCRs are eliminated by apoptosis during development. Apoptosis also leads to the deletion of expanded effector T cells during immune responses. The dysregulation of apoptosis in the immune system results in autoimmunity, tumorogenesis and immunodeficiency. Two major pathways lead to apoptosis: the intrinsic cell death pathway controlled by Bcl-2 family members and the extrinsic cell death pathway controlled by death receptor signaling. These two pathways work together to regulate T lymphocyte development and function.

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