10.1371/journal.pone.0044217 German R. Aleman-Muench German R. Aleman-Muench Valentin Mendoza Valentin Mendoza Kaye Stenvers Kaye Stenvers Eduardo A. Garcia-Zepeda Eduardo A. Garcia-Zepeda Fernando Lopez-Casillas Fernando Lopez-Casillas Chander Raman Chander Raman Gloria Soldevila Gloria Soldevila Betaglycan (TβRIII) Is Expressed in the Thymus and Regulates T Cell Development by Protecting Thymocytes from Apoptosis Public Library of Science 2012 betaglycan expressed thymus regulates protecting thymocytes apoptosis 2012-08-29 00:17:33 Dataset https://plos.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Betaglycan_T_RIII_Is_Expressed_in_the_Thymus_and_Regulates_T_Cell_Development_by_Protecting_Thymocytes_from_Apoptosis/121053 <div><p>TGF-β type III receptor (TβRIII) is a coreceptor for TGFβ family members required for high-affinity binding of these ligands to their receptors, potentiating their cellular functions. TGF-β <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0044217#pone.0044217-Massague1">[1]</a>–<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0044217#pone.0044217-TenDijke1">[3]</a>, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP2/4) and inhibins regulate different checkpoints during T cell differentiation. Although TβRIII is expressed on hematopoietic cells, the role of this receptor in the immune system remains elusive. Here, we provide the first evidence that TβRIII is developmentally expressed during T cell ontogeny, and plays a crucial role in thymocyte differentiation. Blocking of endogenous TβRIII in fetal thymic organ cultures led to a delay in DN-DP transition. In addition, <em>in vitro</em> development of TβRIII<sup>−/−</sup> thymic lobes also showed a significant reduction in absolute thymocyte numbers, which correlated with increased thymocyte apoptosis, resembling the phenotype reported in Inhibin α <sup>−/−</sup> thymic lobes. These data suggest that Inhibins and TβRIII may function as a molecular pair regulating T cell development.</p> </div>