Stromal thymic epithelial cells with the multicellular structure unique to thymic nurse cells (TNCs) express the pH91 antigen on their cell surfaces. The multicellular TNC-complexes develop through an intimate association between αβTCR+CD4+CD8+ thymocytes and pH91-expressing cortical epithelial cells. TNCs participate in MHC-restriction and exhibit epithelial cell progenitor characteristics. In...

APC = antigen presenting cell; cTEC = thymic cortical epithelial cell; DC = dendritic cell; IκB = inhibitory κB; IL = interleukin; mTEC = medullary thymic epithelial cell; NFκB = nuclear factor κB; NIK = NFκB inhibitory kinase; NOD = non-obese diabetic; NZB = New Zealand black; TLR = tolllike receptor; TNF = tumor necrosis factor; TRAF6 = TNF receptor associated factor 6. Arthritis Research & T...

Most epithelial tissues retain stem/progenitor cells to maintain homeostasis of the adult tissues; however, the existence of a thymic epithelial cell (TEC) progenitor capable of maintaining homeostasis of the postnatal thymus remains unclear. Here, we show that a cell population expressing high levels of Meis1, a homeodomain transcription factor, is enriched in TECs with an immature cellular ph...

BACKGROUND Thymic epithelial cell (TEC) microenvironments are essential for the recruitment of T cell precursors from the bone marrow, as well as the subsequent expansion and selection of thymocytes resulting in a mature self-tolerant T cell repertoire. The molecular mechanisms, which control both the initial development and subsequent maintenance of these critical microenvironments, are poorly...

Foxn1 transcription factor is known to be essential for development of the thymic organ. We analyzed whether Foxn1 expression in thymic epithelial cells is necessary for the expression of functional molecules such as Delta-like 4 (Dll4) and CCL25, and whether maintenance of these molecular expressions depends on the Foxn1 transcription factor. We show that almost all thymic epithelial cells in ...

APC = antigen presenting cell; cTEC = thymic cortical epithelial cell; DC = dendritic cell; IκB = inhibitory κB; IL = interleukin; mTEC = medullary thymic epithelial cell; NFκB = nuclear factor κB; NIK = NFκB inhibitory kinase; NOD = non-obese diabetic; NZB = New Zealand black; TLR = tolllike receptor; TNF = tumor necrosis factor; TRAF6 = TNF receptor associated factor 6. Arthritis Research & T...

BACKGROUND Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment for thymic epithelial tumors, and radiation and chemotherapy also have been applied widely as adjuvant and palliative procedures. METHODS We compiled records of 1,320 patients with thymic epithelial tumors who were treated from 1990 to 1994 in 115 institutes certified as special institutes for general thoracic surgery by The Japanese Associ...

Down syndrome (DS), caused by trisomy of chromosome 21, is associated with immunological dysfunctions such as increased frequency of infections and autoimmune diseases. Patients with DS share clinical features, such as autoimmune manifestations and specific autoantibodies, with patients affected by autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1. Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 is caused by m...

KIT (CD117), a tyrosine kinase receptor, has not been widely studied in epithelial tumours. In a systematic immunohistochemical survey of KIT expression on tissue arrays incorporating 671 cases, it was found that thymic carcinomas frequently express KIT. Twenty-two thymic carcinomas, 110 thymomas, and 16 non-neoplastic thymus glands were retrieved for further analyses. Immunohistochemically, 19...

BACKGROUND Combined thymic carcinoma is a malignant neoplasm of the thymus recently added to the 4th edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of tumors of the lung, pleura, thymus and heart. It involves at least one type of thymic carcinoma and another thymic epithelial tumor. The previously used term "combined thymic epithelial tumor" has been abandoned. CASE PRESENTATIO...