Thymic Nurse Cells: Internalization, Survival or Death of Thymocytes

摘要9807242盖登胸腺哺育细胞是胸腺中独特的上皮细胞，能将未成熟的胸腺细胞内化成细胞质空泡。这个实验室已经建立了护理细胞系，它将内化未成熟的双阳性胸腺细胞，其中一些细胞发生凋亡，而另一些细胞则被挽救。后者成熟为单个阳性细胞，并被释放，这表明哺育细胞在决定发育中的胸腺细胞的命运中起着重要作用。这项研究正在研究这种情况发生的机制。该实验室将试图识别与胸腺细胞识别有关的蛋白质，以及参与胸腺细胞内化的蛋白质。他们将研究导致存活的事件与导致细胞死亡的事件。这些研究将为胸腺细胞的发育机制提供重要信息。*胸腺中未成熟的T细胞发育成成熟细胞的机制尚不清楚。该实验室正在研究一组不同寻常的胸腺细胞，它们可以内化未成熟的T细胞，并决定它们是成熟还是死亡。这些研究对我们理解免疫系统的发展很重要。

Abstract 9807242 Guyden Thymic nurse cells (TNC) are unique epithelial cells in the thymus that internalize immature thymocytes into cytoplasmic vacuoles. This laboratory has established nurse cell lines which will internalize immature double positive thymocytes, some of which undergo apoptosis, while others are rescued. The latter mature to single positive cells, which are released, suggesting that the nurse cells are important in determining the fate of developing thymocytes. This research is looking at the mechanisms by which this occurs. The laboratory will try to identify the proteins which are involved in the recognition of the thymocytes, and those involved in their internalization. They will examine the events that lead to survival versus those that result in cell death. These investigations will provide important information about the mechanisms of development of thymocytes. *** The mechanism by which immature T cells in thymus develop into mature cells is not known. This laboratory is studying an unusual group of thymic cells that can internalize immature T cells and determine whether they will mature or die. These studies are important to our understanding of the development of the immune system.