Cytokeratin (CK) expression was investigated, by means of immunocytochemistry, in the hamster thymic epithelium during ontogeny, as well as in primary cultures and upon glucocorticoid hormone treatment in vivo. As compared to the distribution pattern of distinct monoclonal antibody-defined cytokeratins in the normal adult thymus, CK modulation was evidenced in the three situations studied. During thymus ontogeny, both cytokeratins of simple lining epithelia, as CK8 and CK18, as well as the CK1/CK10 pair (typical marker of terminal stage of keratinization), were expressed since early stages of thymus development. They were located in the central region of thymic lobules preceding the cortical-medullary distinctions. This differed from what had been previously shown for mouse thymus ontogeny, revealing that the interspecific diversity in the distribution pattern of thymic cytokeratins occurred early in fetal life. A modulation of CK expression was also detected when hamster thymic epithelial cells (TEC) were led to grow in culture, with a down-regulation of CK19 contrasting with an enhancement of CK18 expression. This diverged from the maintenance of the in situ pattern when human TEC were cultured. Last, in vivo hydrocortisone treatment, known to increase the numbers of KL1+ cells in the mouse thymus medulla, promoted a cortical expression of the CK1/CK10 pair in the hamster thymus. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a continuous plasticity of the thymic epithelium, at least regarding cytokeratin expression, and enlarge the concept of interspecific diversity of intrathymic CK distribution in conditions as morphogenesis, in vitro system, and responsiveness to glucocorticoid hormone treatment.

Thymic epithelial cells (TEC) heterogeneity suggests the existence of functional subsets. Anti-cytokeratin (Anti-CK) monoclonal antibodies (MAb), markers of epithelial differentiation, have been used to detect TEC subsets in rodents and humans. These MAb revealed a different topography of CK-defined TEC subsets in mice and humans, leading us to carry out a comparative study of mammalian thymuses. Our study showed that the distribution pattern of cytokeratins in the thymic epithelium is complex and unique, with coexpression of CK typical of simple and stratified epithelia. Moreover, we demonstrated an interspecific diversity of CK expression within the thymic lobules. Interestingly, such diversity was not a general phenomenon for the expression of any thymic microenvironmental proteins, because the location of extracellular matrix components was essentially similar in the mammalian species studied.