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Nature Immunology 9, 1095–1096 (1 October 2008) | doi:10.1038/ni1008-1095

Putting ThPOK in place

J Jeremiah Bell & Avinash Bhandoola

CD4+ helper T cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells develop in the thymus from precursor cells expressing both CD4 and CD8 (double-positive (DP) thymocytes). The mechanisms by which 'bipotent' DP thymocytes 'choose' the CD4+ helper or CD8+ cytotoxic T cell fate have been among the most intensely studied in immunology.