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A 2020 View of Thymus Stromal Cells in T Cell Development

Jianxun Han and Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker
J Immunol January 15, 2021, 206 (2) 249-256; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.2000889
Jianxun Han
*Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5, Canada; and
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Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker
*Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5, Canada; and
†Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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Abstract

The thymus is an intricate primary lymphoid organ, wherein bone marrow–derived lymphoid progenitor cells are induced to develop into functionally competent T cells that express a diverse TCR repertoire, which is selected to allow for the recognition of foreign Ags while avoiding self-reactivity or autoimmunity. Thymus stromal cells, which can include all non–T lineage cells, such as thymic epithelial cells, endothelial cells, mesenchymal/fibroblast cells, dendritic cells, and B cells, provide signals that are essential for thymocyte development as well as for the homeostasis of the thymic stroma itself. In this brief review, we focus on the key roles played by thymic stromal cells during early stages of T cell development, such as promoting the homing of thymic-seeding progenitors, inducing T lineage differentiation, and supporting thymocyte survival and proliferation. We also discuss recent advances on the transcriptional regulation that govern thymic epithelial cell function as well as the cellular and molecular changes that are associated with thymic involution and regeneration.

Footnotes

  • This work was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (2016-06592) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (154332). J.C.Z.-P. was supported by a Canada Research Chair in Developmental Immunology.

  • Abbreviations used in this article:

    CMJ
    corticomedullary junction
    cTEC
    cortical TEC
    DC
    dendritic cell
    DN
    double-negative
    DP
    double-positive
    E
    embryonic day
    ETP
    early thymic progenitor cell
    MHCII
    MHC class II
    mTEC
    medullary TEC
    SCF
    stem cell factor
    SP
    single-positive
    TEC
    thymic epithelial cell
    TSP
    thymic-seeding progenitor
    WT
    wild-type.

  • Received July 28, 2020.
  • Accepted October 29, 2020.
  • Copyright © 2021 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.
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The Journal of Immunology: 206 (2)
The Journal of Immunology
Vol. 206, Issue 2
15 Jan 2021
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A 2020 View of Thymus Stromal Cells in T Cell Development
Jianxun Han, Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker
The Journal of Immunology January 15, 2021, 206 (2) 249-256; DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000889

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A 2020 View of Thymus Stromal Cells in T Cell Development
Jianxun Han, Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker
The Journal of Immunology January 15, 2021, 206 (2) 249-256; DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000889
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Print ISSN 0022-1767        Online ISSN 1550-6606