Histochemical and molecular overview of the thymus as site for T-cells development

Rezzani, Rita; Bonomini, Francesca; Rodella, Luigi Fabrizio

doi:10.1016/j.proghi.2008.03.001

Cited by 42 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 196 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…A major physiological function of the thymus is to produce self-tolerant T cells with competent and regulatory functions [18]. Important cellular components of the thymic microenvironment such as thymic epithelial cells (TEC), dendritic cells and macrophages play essential roles in thymic T cell (thymocyte) differentiation through cell-tocell contacts and production of soluble factors (e.g., cytokines, chemokines, etc.)…”

Section: Thymus and Thymic Epithelial Tumorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Important cellular components of the thymic microenvironment such as thymic epithelial cells (TEC), dendritic cells and macrophages play essential roles in thymic T cell (thymocyte) differentiation through cell-tocell contacts and production of soluble factors (e.g., cytokines, chemokines, etc.) [18][19][20][21][22]. On the other hand, thymic dysfunction may cause various disorders in humans such as tumors, immunodeficiencies and autoimmune diseases [19,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29].…”

Section: Thymus and Thymic Epithelial Tumorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Expression of cell cycle and apoptosis regulators in thymus and thymic epithelial tumors

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The human thymus supports the production of self-tolerant T cells with competent and regulatory functions. Various cellular components of the thymic microenvironment such as thymic epithelial cells (TEC) and dendritic cells play essential roles in thymic T cell differentiation. The multiple cellular events occurring during thymic T cell and TEC differentiation involve proteins regulating cell cycle and apoptosis. Dysregulation of the cell cycle and apoptosis networks is involved in the pathogenesis of thymic epithelial tumors (TET) which are divided into two broad categories, thymomas and thymic carcinomas. The present review focuses on the usefulness of the analysis of the expression patterns of major cell cycle and apoptosis regulators in order to gain insight in the histophysiology of thymus and the histopathology, the clinical behavior and the biology of TET.

show abstract

Section: Thymus and Thymic Epithelial Tumorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Thymus and Thymic Epithelial Tumorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expression of cell cycle and apoptosis regulators in thymus and thymic epithelial tumors

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thymic stromal cells are composed of thymic epithelial cells (TECs) -including cortical TECs (cTECs) and medullary TECs (mTECs), dendritic cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, neural crest-derived pericytes and other mesenchymal cells [13][14][15] . Among these, TECs are crucial at the various stages of T cell development 1,2,16,17 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation, Identification, and Purification of Murine Thymic Epithelial Cells

Xing

Hogquist

2014

JoVE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The thymus is a vital organ for T lymphocyte development. Of thymic stromal cells, thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are particularly crucial at multiple stages of T cell development: T cell commitment, positive selection and negative selection. However, the function of TECs in the thymus remains incompletely understood. In the article, we provide a method to isolate TEC subsets from fresh mouse thymus using a combination of mechanical disruption and enzymatic digestion. The method allows thymic stromal cells and thymocytes to be efficiently released from cellcell and cell-extracellular matrix connections and to form a single-cell suspension. Using the isolated cells, multiparameter flow cytometry can be applied to identification and characterization of TECs and dendritic cells. Because TECs are a rare cell population in the thymus, we also describe an effective way to enrich and purify TECs by depleting thymocytes, the most abundant cell type in the thymus. Following the enrichment, cell sorting time can be decreased so that loss of cell viability can be minimized during purification of TECs. Purified cells are suitable for various downstream analyses like Real Time-PCR, Western blot and gene expression profiling. The protocol will promote research of TEC function and as well as the development of in vitro T cell reconstitution. Video LinkThe video component of this article can be found at

show abstract

“…The thymus is an encapsulated organ. The parenchyma is subdivided with a septa into incomplete lobules, each of which contains a cortical and a medullar part (Hale 2004;Rezzani et al 2008). Hassall's bodies are typical structures of the thymic medullar part.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cholinesterase activity in quail primary lymphoid organs

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The present histochemical study was carried out to analyze the distribution and topography of acetylcholinepositive nerve fibers in the thymus and bursa of Fabricius of quails. The AChE-positive nerve fibers were demonstrated by direct thiocholine histochemical method. Nerve fibers present in the thymuses form periarterial nerve plexuses located mostly in the interlobular septa and on the cortico-medullary junction. Vessels-independent nerve fibers occur also in the parenchyma of thymic medulla, but rarely in parenchyma of the cortex. Within the connective tissue between the bursa of Fabricius and the wall of proctodeum we observed conspicuous AChE-positive ganglia, often in close relationship to greater arteries. Within the wall of bursa of Fabricius, AChE-positive nerve fibers create nerve plexuses around arteries. We observed a close relationship between lymphoid follicules in bursal submucosa and mucosa and AChE-positive nerve fibers. Nerve fibers create a ring around lymphoid follicles, but do not penetrate into the germinal center of the follicle. Arteries inside quail thymuses and bursae of Fabricius contain rich AChE-positive nerve plexuses, when compared to the veins, which have a very poor presence of AChE-positive nerves. According to lesser presence and decreased density of AChE-positive nerve fibers in older animals, we described age-dependent changes in both quail primary lymphoid organs.

show abstract

Histochemical and molecular overview of the thymus as site for T-cells development

Cited by 42 publications

References 196 publications

Expression of cell cycle and apoptosis regulators in thymus and thymic epithelial tumors

Expression of cell cycle and apoptosis regulators in thymus and thymic epithelial tumors

Isolation, Identification, and Purification of Murine Thymic Epithelial Cells

Cholinesterase activity in quail primary lymphoid organs

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About