Development of thymocytes in organ culture: Migrant cells with natural killer cell characteristics

Abstract

Summary During organ culture of foetal thymic lobes, up to 5% of the thymic cells migrate out of the lobes and a majority of these have phenotypic characteristics of thymocytes or macrophages. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) increases the number of these migrant cells, and cytotoxic cells can be detected which display natural killer cell surface markers. In contrast, although cytotoxic activity can be detected in cells from adult thymic fragments cultured with IL-2, the cytotoxic activity is not detected with natural killer sensitive target cells. The appearance of natural killer-like cells during the culture of foetal thymiclobcs suggests that they are involved in differentiation events which occur at this time in the thymus.

Rat thymocytes differentiation in adult thymus organ culture

“…Taking into consideration that during organ culture of fetal thymic lobes, up to 5% of the thymic cells migrate out of the lobes (Skinner et al, 1989), we examined the properties of thymocytes that emigrate from ATOC in culture media, at various time points of organ culture. Thymic emigrants displayed mainly mature CD4 and CD8 phenotype and their ratio was~2:1, after 24 hours in culture.…”