Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anja Nusser, Sagar, Jeremy B. Swann, Brigitte Krauth, Dagmar Diekhoff, Lesly Calderon, Christiane Happe, Dominic Gruen, Thomas Boehm
Summary: T cell development in the thymus is dependent on the organotypic thymic epithelial microenvironment. Using a combination of scRNA-seq and a novel CRISPR-Cas9-based cellular barcoding system, this study identified two principal progenitor populations in the thymic epithelium and revealed qualitative and quantitative changes in the thymic epithelium over time.
Article
Oncology
Huiyang Li, Bo Ren, Shili Yu, Hongwen Gao, Ping-Li Sun
Summary: This study investigated the expression of six novel thymic epithelial markers in thymic tumors and explored their correlation with histological classification, Masaoka-Koga stage, and prognosis. The results demonstrated that these markers could be used as ancillary markers in the diagnosis and prognosis of thymic epithelial tumors.
Review
Immunology
Nathan Provin, Matthieu Giraud
Summary: The thymus plays a crucial role in immune tolerance, but genetic disorders can lead to thymic dysfunction and autoimmune syndromes. Recent advances in gene editing and pluripotent stem cell differentiation offer new possibilities for studying and treating genetic pathologies affecting the thymus.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Pedro Ferreirinha, Camila Ribeiro, Junko Morimoto, Jonathan J. M. Landry, Minoru Matsumoto, Catarina Meireles, Andrea J. White, Izumi Ohigashi, Leonor Araujo, Vladimir Benes, Yousuke Takahama, Graham Anderson, Mitsuru Matsumoto, Nuno L. Alves
Summary: This study identified a new classification method for the late stages of mTEC differentiation and confirmed the precursor-product relationship between different subsets through transcriptomic analysis of specific genetic programs, providing insights into their characteristics.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kostas Palamaris, Georgia Levidou, Katerina Kordali, Christos Masaoutis, Dimitra Rontogianni, Stamatios Theocharis
Summary: Immunohistochemical analysis of Hippo cascade components (YAP, TAZ, TEAD4 and LATS1) in thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) revealed associations between TAZ and TEAD4 with aggressive tumors and advanced stages, while YAP showed associations with indolent and earlier stage tumors. However, none of these components were significantly correlated with patient overall or disease-free survival.
Article
Immunology
Hanchao Gao, Mengtao Cao, Kai Deng, Yang Yang, Jinqi Song, Ming Ni, Chuntao Xie, Wenna Fan, Chunpei Ou, Dinggen Huang, Lizhong Lin, Lixia Liu, Yangyang Li, Huimin Sun, Xinyu Cheng, Jinmei Wu, Cuilan Xia, Xuefeng Deng, Lisha Mou, Pengfei Chen
Summary: The study utilized single-cell transcriptome analysis to reveal the transcriptional heterogeneity and cellular state evolution during thymic epithelial cell development, identifying the molecular nature and differentiation dynamics of TECs, as well as a population of mTECs expressing adult stem cell markers.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Honyin Chiu, Peter S. Linsley, Steven F. Ziegler
Summary: The thymus is a complex organ composed of various thymic epithelial cells (TECs) that play different roles in the development and selection of T cells. Recent advancements in technologies like single-cell RNA sequencing have allowed for the investigation of TEC heterogeneity and provided insights into the molecular mechanisms regulating TEC function and antigen expression. This review focuses on the newly characterized subsets of TECs and their diversity in supporting T cell development, as well as recent discoveries in self-antigen expression during TEC development and thymic involution.
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jhoanne L. Bautista, Nathan T. Cramer, Corey N. Miller, Jessica Chavez, David I. Berrios, Lauren E. Byrnes, Joe Germino, Vasilis Ntranos, Julie B. Sneddon, Trevor D. Burt, James M. Gardner, Chun J. Ye, Mark S. Anderson, Audrey V. Parent
Summary: Single-cell RNA sequencing of human thymic stroma reveals the crucial roles of different cell types in the diversity of thymic cells and the induction of immune tolerance.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Jiayi Dong, Lindsey M. Warner, Ling-Li Lin, Mei-Chi Chen, Ryan M. O'Connell, Li-Fan Lu
Summary: miR-155 plays a crucial role in promoting tT reg cell differentiation by promoting mTEC maturation in the thymus. RANKL stimulation induces miR-155 expression to target molecules within the TGF beta signaling pathway, safeguarding thymic medulla integrity.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniel A. Michelson, Koji Hase, Tsuneyasu Kaisho, Christophe Benoist, Diane Mathis
Summary: Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) ectopically express thousands of peripheral-tissue antigens (PTAs), which drive deletion or phenotypic diversion of self-reactive immature T cells during thymic differentiation. Lineage-defining transcription factors (TFs) for distinct cell types are present in different mTEC subtypes, and these factors are essential for the accumulation of mimetic cells and the expression of PTAs, contributing to self-tolerance.
Article
Cell Biology
Xie Xu, Kai He, Robert D. Hoffman, Yuyuan Ying, Nana Tao, Wenqin Guo, Jiaman Shen, Xi Liu, Meiya Li, Meiqiu Yan, Guiyuan Lv, Jianli Gao
Summary: In this study, the impact of T beta 15 on thymic epithelial cells (TECs) was investigated. It was found that T beta 15 can affect the spatial development of TECs, T cell differentiation, and thymic output. T beta 15 OX inhibits the migration of TECs to the medulla and blocks the positive selection of thymocytes. Knockdown of T beta 15 accelerates TEC differentiation. These findings provide important insights into the development and degeneration of the thymus.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dane Huang, Chao Zhao, Ruyue Li, Bingyi Chen, Yuting Zhang, Zhejun Sun, Junkang Wei, Huihao Zhou, Qiong Gu, Jun Xu
Summary: This study reports an approach to identify selective and druggable binding sites on protein surfaces for designing anti-osteoporotic drugs. A specific binding site was discovered that allows disruption of a particular protein interaction without interfering with other related interactions. The developed inhibitor demonstrates specificity and anti-osteoporotic effects through in vitro and in vivo studies.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Veronika Haunerdinger, Maria Domenica Moccia, Lennart Opitz, Stefano Vavassori, Hitendu Dave, Mathias M. Hauri-Hohl
Summary: The research accurately identifies and quantifies human TECs, distinguishes different subsets through surface marker screening, and verifies the findings through transcriptomic and histologic means. The study provides insight into the contribution of TECs to the compartmentalization and function of the human thymus.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Salman M. Toor, Sachin Wani, Omar M. E. Albagha
Summary: Osteoclasts are the only bone resorbing cells and play an important role in skeletal mass and structure. Differentiation of osteoclasts involves a complex regulatory network of genes and LncRNAs, with potential implications for understanding bone-related diseases.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Allergy
Rafael Gras-Pena, Nichole M. Danzl, Mohsen Khosravi-Maharlooei, Sean R. Campbell, Amanda E. Ruiz, Christopher A. Parks, William Meng Suen Savage, Markus A. Holzl, Debanjana Chatterjee, Megan Sykes
Summary: This study developed a novel differentiation protocol to generate human thymic epithelial progenitors from human embryonic stem cells (hES-TEPs) and demonstrated their thymopoietic function in vivo. By incorporating hES-TEPs into a supportive thymic structure, the researchers enhanced human thymocyte development and increased the reconstitution of peripheral CD4+ naive T cells.
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)