T lymphocyte differentiation, T-cell differentiation, T-lymphocyte differentiation, T cell development
Alternate IDs
GO:0042112, GO:0046652
Definition
The process in which a precursor cell type acquires characteristics of a more mature T-cell. A T cell is a type of lymphocyte whose definin characteristic is the expression of a T cell receptor complex.
Source:GO_REF:0000022,
GOC:mah,
GOC:jid
Comment
Note that the term 'thymocyte differentiation' was merged into this term because thymocytes are T cells, and thus the term was essentially redundant. Note that immunologists typically use the word 'development' to refer to cells of B or T cell lineages undergoing the process that GO describes as 'cell differentiation'.