T cell differentiation in the thymus is dependent upon signals from thymic stromal cells. Most studies into the nature of these signals have focused only on the support provided by the thymic epithelium, but there is an emerging view that other stromal cells such as mesenchymal fibroblasts may also be involved. Study of the latter has been hindered by a lack of appropriate markers, particularly...

AIM OF THE STUDY To evaluate the role of nuclear medicine techniques in the management of patients with thymoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Authors performed a review of the literature about the usefulness of traditional nuclear medicine and positron emission tomography in patients with thymic tumours. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Nuclear medicine imaging can provide additional information in case...

The thymus provides a specialized site for the production of T cells capable of recognizing foreign antigens in the context of self-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. During development, the thymus arises from an epithelial rudiment containing bipotent progenitors that differentiate into distinct cortical and medullary epithelial cells to regulate the maturation and selection of ...

The underlying cause of the enigmatic coexistence of immunodeficiency and autoimmune disorders in patients with primary immunodeficiency such as Omenn syndrome is largely due to the inefficient negative selection within thymus where T cells develop. Recent advances in molecular biology and animal models answered one of the key questions on the relationship between the partially impaired T cell ...

Natural CD4+CD25+ regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) are key protagonists in the induction and maintenance of peripheral T cell tolerance. Their thymic origin and biased repertoire continue to raise important questions about the signals that mediate their development. We validated analysis of MHC class II capture by developing thymocytes from thymic stroma as a tool to study quantitative and quali...

BACKGROUND More and more evidences demonstrate the significance of Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3(STAT3) in oncogenesis and tumor development. However, little systematic researches have been reported on the correlation between STAT3 and thymic epithelial tumor (TET). METHODS Expression of STAT3 protein in 80 thymic epithelial tumors was detected by immunohistochemistry (...

Thymolipoma (or lipothymoma) is a benign tumour of the thymus gland consisting of fat and thymic tissue. The only symptoms it produces, if any, are the results of pressure on surrounding structures. It is not a common tumour. No example was found in the 67 thymic neoplasms studied by Thomson and Thackray (1957). Seventeen isolated reports have been found in the literature (Table I) and one more...

Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are required for the development and differentiation of T cells and are sufficient for the positive and negative selection of developing T cells. Although TECs play a critical role in T cell biology, simple, efficient and readily scalable methods for the transfection of TEC lines and primary TECs have not been described. We tested the efficiency of Nucleofection f...

Thymic T cell development is dependent on a specialized epithelial microenvironment mainly composed of cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells (TECs). The molecular programs governing the differentiation and maintenance of TECs remain largely unknown. Wnt signaling is central to the development and maintenance of several organ systems but a specific role of this pathway for thymus organo...

Neural crest-derived cells populate the thymus, and their coexistence with epithelial cells is required for proper organ development and T cell education function. We show here that epidermal growth factor (EGF), a major epithelial cell growth-enhancing agent, has a morphogenetic action to promote the expression of a neuronal phenotype (e.g., neurofilament expression) in cultured thymic epithel...