Jenkinson E J, Owen J J
Department of Anatomy, The Medical School, University of Birmingham, UK.
Semin Immunol. 1990 Jan;2(1):51-8.
Fetal thymus organ cultures support a full range of T-cell precursor differentiation in vitro, including TCR gene rearrangement and expression. This provides an accessible model system in which the intra-thymic regulation of T-cell development can be investigated. Thymus organ cultures can be manipulated by adding antibodies to block different cell surface components on stromal or lymphoid elements. In addition, it is possible to deplete thymus lobes of their lymphoid cells and recolonize them with T-cell precursors of a different MHC haplotype to produce chimeric lobes. Recolonization can also be achieved with defined numbers or types of precursor cells, including a single micro-manipulated cell. These approaches have been used to obtain information on the signals regulating intra-thymic proliferation, T-cell lineage relationships, antigen receptor diversification within the thymus and the cellular interactions and intracellular mechanisms regulating selection of the antigen receptor repertoire.
胎儿胸腺器官培养体系可在体外支持全方位的T细胞前体分化，包括TCR基因重排和表达。这提供了一个易于操作的模型系统，可用于研究胸腺内T细胞发育的调控机制。胸腺器官培养可通过添加抗体来阻断基质或淋巴细胞上不同的细胞表面成分进行操控。此外，还可以去除胸腺叶中的淋巴细胞，并用不同MHC单倍型的T细胞前体对其进行重新定植，以产生嵌合叶。也可以用特定数量或类型的前体细胞（包括单个经显微操作的细胞）实现重新定植。这些方法已被用于获取有关调节胸腺内增殖的信号、T细胞谱系关系、胸腺内抗原受体多样化以及调节抗原受体库选择的细胞间相互作用和细胞内机制的信息。
