Thymic vasculature: organizer of the medullary epithelial compartment?
Thymic vasculature: organizer of the medullary epithelial compartment?
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DOI：
10.1093/intimm/12.7.1105
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发表时间：
2000-07-01
影响因子：
4.4
通讯作者：
Farr, AG
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Anderson, M;Anderson, SK;Farr, AG
胸腺环境的上皮成分被组织成离散的皮质和髓质隔室，它们介导胸腺细胞分化的不同方面。控制这些上皮隔室的生长和组织的过程定义不清。在这项研究中，我们使用了一种新的方法来定义胸腺上皮（TE）室的三维组织，以证明髓质TE室的组织是非常复杂的。同时免疫组化标记的血管元素和髓质TE的胸腺髓质上皮与胸腺血管元素的空间关系。髓质TE通常排列为围绕中等大小血管的血管周围袖带，但与毛细血管网或位于中心的大血管无关。RAG-2（-/-）胸腺的类似分析揭示了髓质TE与血管成分的显著物理关联。RAG-2（-/-）胸腺的超微结构分析表明，髓质TE的局灶性蓄积与毛细血管后小静脉优先相关。这些数据表明，胸腺脉管系统的离散段提供的线索，与胸腺细胞衍生的刺激，以影响胸腺环境的正常发育。
The epithelial component of the thymic environment is organized into discrete cortical and medullary compartments that mediate different aspects of thymocyte differentiation. The processes controlling the growth and organization of these epithelial compartments are poorly defined. In this study we have used a novel approach to define the three-dimensional organization of thymic epithelial (TE) compartments to demonstrate that the organization of the medullary TE compartment is very complex. A spatial relationship of medullary thymic epithelium with vascular elements of the thymus was demonstrated by simultaneous immunohistochemical labeling of vascular elements and medullary TE. Medullary TE was often arranged as perivascular cuffs surrounding intermediate-sized vessels, but was not associated with either the capillary network or large centrally located vessels. Similar analyses of RAG-2(-/-) thymi revealed a striking physical association of medullary TE with vascular elements. Ultrastructural analysis of the RAG-2(-/-) thymus indicated a preferential association of focal accumulations of medullary TE with postcapillary venules. These data suggest that discrete segments of the thymic vasculature provide cues that act in concert with thymocyte-derived stimuli to effect normal development of the thymic environment.