Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) play a critical role in T-cell development through their intercellular interactions and by producing various soluble proteins, such as growth factors, cytokines and chemokines. In this study, we report a new role for epidermal growth factor-like domain 8 (EGFL8) in the regulation of the survival and proliferation of mouse thymocytes. Mouse recombinant EGFL8 (rEGFL...

Developmental commitment involves activation of lineage-specific genes, stabilization of a lineage-specific gene expression program, and permanent inhibition of inappropriate characteristics. To determine how these processes are coordinated in early T cell development, the expression of T and B lineage-specific genes was assessed in staged subsets of immature thymocytes. T lineage characteristi...

The thymus is seeded by very small numbers of progenitor cells that undergo massive proliferation before differentiation and rearrangement of TCR genes occurs. Various signals mediate proliferation and differentiation of these cells, including Wnt signals. Wnt signals induce the interaction of the cytoplasmic cofactor beta-catenin with nuclear T cell factor (TCF) transcription factors. We ident...

Infectious disease immunology has largely focused on the effector immune response, changes in the blood and peripheral lymphoid organs of infected individuals, and vaccine development. Studies of the thymus in infected individuals have been neglected, although this is progressively changing. The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ, able to generate mature T cells that eventually colonize seconda...

Thymus integrates numerous signals from the neuroendocrine-immune system, including sex steroids, glucocorticoids, and catecholamines. Neonatal surgical castration, commonly practiced in pig husbandry, modifies thymic hormonal environment, for example, sex steroids and probably glucocorticoids and catecholamines, which are important modulators of thymic function. This study aimed at investigati...

The genes encoding effector molecules of mature T cells, IL-2, perforin and IL-4, were found to be expressed in vivo in the most primitive subsets of thymocytes of adult mice. These subsets have previously been identified by their cell surface markers and by their expression of other T lineage-associated genes. While IL-2, perforin and IL-4 are expressed in distinct patterns, all three are expr...

OBJECTIVE The thymus is the primary lymphoid organ responsible for T cell development and the establishment of central self-tolerance. Among thymic epithelial cells, thymic nurse cells (TNC) interact closely with immature thymocytes and constitute a special microenvironment for T cell differentiation and selection. In addition, TNC express neuroendocrine self-antigens such as oxytocin and insul...

CD26 dipeptidyl peptidase (DPPIV) is involved in the regulation of proliferation of some hematopoietic and T-lineage cells. Here, we show that Pro-boropro a potent inhibitor of DPP activity has a costimulating effect in hematopoietic colony assays for macrophage and, to a lesser extent, for granulocyte colonies and has a stimulating effect in organ cultures of immature thymocytes. Based on thes...

In a previous report (Y. Ohmori, S. Hanazawa, S. Amano, T. Miyoshi, K. Hirose, and S. Kitano, infect. Immun. 55:947-954, 1987), we showed that human gingival fibroblasts spontaneously produce thymocyte-activating factor (FTAF), which stimulates mitogen-induced thymocyte proliferation. In the present study, we examined the effect of Bacteroides gingivalis fimbriae on FTAF production by the cells...