Mapping precursor movement through the postnatal thymus reveals specific microenvironments supporting defined stages of early lymphoid development Journal Article

   

Authors:	Lind, E. F.; Prockop, S. E.; Porritt, H. E.; Petrie, H. T.
Article Title:	Mapping precursor movement through the postnatal thymus reveals specific microenvironments supporting defined stages of early lymphoid development
Abstract:	Cellular differentiation is a complex process involving integrated signals for lineage specification, proliferation, endowment of functional capacity, and survival or cell death. During embryogenesis, spatially discrete environments regulating these processes are established during the growth of tissue mass, a process that also results in temporal separation of developmental events. In tissues that undergo steady-state postnatal differentiation, another means for inducing spatial and temporal separation of developmental cues must be established. Here we show that in the postnatal thymus, this is achieved by inducing blood-borne precursors to enter the organ in a narrow region of the perimedullary cortex, followed by outward migration across the cortex before accumulation in the subcapsular zone. Notably, blood precursors do not transmigrate the cortex in an undifferentiated state, but rather undergo progressive developmental changes during this process, such that defined precursor stages appear in distinct cortical regions. Identification of these cortical regions, together with existing knowledge regarding the genetic potential of the corresponding lymphoid precursors, sets operational boundaries for stromal environments that are likely to induce these differentiative events. We conclude that active cell migration between morphologically similar but functionally distinct stromal regions is an integral component regulating differentiation and homeostasis in the steady-state thymus.
Keywords:	controlled study; nonhuman; cell proliferation; t-lymphocytes; animal cell; mouse; animals; mice; animal tissue; cell death; steady state; animal experiment; embryo development; cell differentiation; mice, inbred c57bl; histology; cell specificity; thymus; thymus gland; hematopoietic stem cells; cell movement; hematopoiesis; homeostasis; stroma cell; stromal cells; tissue differentiation; postnatal development; lymphoid cell; prolymphocyte; male; female; priority journal; article; radiation chimera
Journal Title:	Journal of Experimental Medicine
Volume:	194
Issue:	2
ISSN:	0022-1007
Publisher:	Rockefeller University Press
Date Published:	2001-07-16
Start Page:	127
End Page:	134
Language:	English
DOI:	10.1084/jem.194.2.127
PUBMED:	11457887
PROVIDER:	scopus
PMCID:	PMC2193450
DOI/URL:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-0035898387&partnerID=40&md5=35248a17e28d4febd327942aa51c77dc
Notes:	Export Date: 21 May 2015 -- Source: Scopus

https://synapse.mskcc.org/synapse/works/has_related_data_chk/73821