School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jan 16;25(2):1088. doi: 10.3390/ijms25021088.
The thymus is one of the most crucial immunological organs, undergoing visible age-related shrinkage. Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) play a vital role in maintaining the normal function of the thymus, and their degeneration is the primary cause of age-induced thymic devolution. Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) serves as a significant important G-actin sequestering peptide. The objective of this study was to explore whether Tβ4 influences thymocyte differentiation by regulating the cytoskeletal rearrangement and mitochondrial transfer of TECs. A combination of H&E staining, immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy, RT-qPCR, flow cytometry, cytoskeletal immunolabeling, and mitochondrial immunolabeling were employed to observe the effects of Tβ4 on TECs' skeleton rearrangement, mitochondrial transfer, and thymocyte differentiation. The study revealed that the Tβ4 primarily regulates the formation of microfilaments and the mitochondrial transfer of TECs, along with the formation and maturation of double-negative cells (CD4CD8) and CD4 single-positive cells (CD3TCRβCD4CD8) thymocytes. This study suggests that Tβ4 plays a crucial role in thymocyte differentiation by influencing the cytoskeletal rearrangement and mitochondrial transfer of TECs. These effects may be associated with Tβ4's impact on the aggregation of F-actin. This finding opens up new avenues for research in the field of immune aging.
胸腺是最重要的免疫器官之一，随着年龄的增长会发生明显的萎缩。胸腺上皮细胞（TECs）在维持胸腺正常功能方面起着至关重要的作用，其退化是导致年龄相关性胸腺退化的主要原因。胸腺肽β4（Tβ4）作为一种重要的 G-肌动蛋白隔离肽。本研究旨在探讨 Tβ4 是否通过调节 TECs 的细胞骨架重排和线粒体转移来影响胸腺细胞分化。采用 H&E 染色、免疫荧光、透射电镜、RT-qPCR、流式细胞术、细胞骨架免疫标记和线粒体免疫标记观察 Tβ4 对 TECs 骨架重排、线粒体转移和胸腺细胞分化的影响。研究表明，Tβ4 主要通过调节 TECs 微丝的形成和线粒体的转移，以及双阴性细胞（CD4CD8）和 CD4 单阳性细胞（CD3TCRβCD4CD8）胸腺细胞的形成和成熟来发挥作用。本研究提示 Tβ4 通过影响 TECs 的细胞骨架重排和线粒体转移来影响胸腺细胞分化。这些作用可能与 Tβ4 对 F-肌动蛋白聚集的影响有关。这一发现为免疫衰老领域的研究开辟了新的途径。
