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Normal Structure, Function and Histology of the ThymusAstraZeneca, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 4TG, United Kingdom Correspondence: Address correspondence to: Gail Pearse, AstraZeneca, 23F22A, Mere-side, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 4TG, United Kingdom; e-mail:Gail.Pearse{at}astrazeneca.com The thymus, a primary lymphoid organ and the initial site for development of T cell immunological function, is morphologically similar across species. It is actually an epithelial organ in which its epithelial cells provide a framework containing T cells as well as smaller numbers of other lymphoid cells. A symbiotic interaction exists between the thymic microinvironment and developing T cells, and the specificity of T cell release into the systemic circulation is under thymic control. The thymic cortex in a young animal is heavily populated by developing T cells along with a smaller proportion of associated epithelial cells. Larger, more mature T cells are found in the medulla where epithelial and other cell types are more abundant. Understanding normal morphological features of the thymus and their perturbations provides a cornerstone to assessing immune system function.
Key Words: T cells • epithelial cells • positive & negative selection • SCID mice • anatomy • epithelium-free areas
Toxicologic Pathology, Vol. 34, No. 5,
504-514 (2006) This article has been cited by other articles:
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