Premature thymic involution is independent of structural plasticity of the thymic stroma.
Eur J Immunol
; 45(5): 1535-47, 2015 May.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25627671
ABSTRACT
The thymus is the organ devoted to T-cell production. The thymus undergoes multiple rounds of atrophy and redevelopment before degenerating with age in a process known as involution. This process is poorly understood, despite the influence the phenomenon has on peripheral T-cell numbers. Here we have investigated the FVB/N mouse strain, which displays premature thymic involution. We find multiple architectural and cellular features that precede thymic involution, including disruption of the epithelial-endothelial relationship and a progressive loss of pro-T cells. The architectural features, reminiscent of the human thymus, are intrinsic to the nonhematopoietic compartment and are neither necessary nor sufficient for thymic involution. By contrast, the loss of pro-T cells is intrinsic to the hematopoietic compartment, and is sufficient to drive premature involution. These results identify pro-T-cell loss as the main driver of premature thymic involution, and highlight the plasticity of the thymic stroma, capable of maintaining function across diverse interstrain architectures.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Timo
Límite:
Animals
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
/
Newborn
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Eur J Immunol
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Bélgica