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PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-4-6
pubmed:abstractText
Interactions between thymocytes and thymic stromal cells are essential for thymocyte differentiation, but little evidence has been presented to directly show in vivo functions or interactions of the stromal cells. Among the stromal cells, the thymic epithelial cell has been considered to have profound effect on thymocyte differentiation and maturation. The calcium-depleted medium, originally developed for the culture of mouse epidermal cells, was applied for the culture of the mouse thymic epithelial cells, and successfully, an epithelial cell line, IT-76MHC was obtained from the mouse thymus. IT-76MHC cells were identified as distinct mouse thymic epithelial cells by 1/ mosaic-like arrangement, 2/ presence of well-developed desmosome and 3/ tonofilaments, 4/ positivity for cytokeratin, and 5/ induced expression of MHC class I and II by IFN-gamma treatment. IGF-1, IGF-2, oxytocin and vasopressin were also detected immunohistochemically in IT-76MHC cells. Furthermore, the IT-76MHC thymic epithelial cells, when injected intrathymically in the allogeneic mouse, prolonged the survival of skin graft from the same donor strain that IT-76MHC cells were derived. These results demonstrate that the thymic epithelial cell line IT-76MHC produces modest thymocyte survival factors as well as a growth suppressor, and that IT-76MHC cells have the ability to induce transplantation tolerance probably through their expression of MHC class I and II molecules. Taken altogether, the IT-76MHC thymic epithelial cells have been proved to be useful tools to better understand the in vivo functions of thymic epithelial cells, and to gain a deep insight into their involvement in the critical selection process of thymocytes which still remains obscure. Finally and additionally, literatures so far reported on thymic epithelial cells in culture, especially lines and clones, are reviewed and their identity as well as their functions are discussed.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Feb
pubmed:issn
0145-5680
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
47
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1-18
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Establishment of a mouse thymic epithelial cell line, IT-76MHC and a brief review on cultured thymic epithelial cells.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Cell Biology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan. itoh@immem.med.tohoku.ac.jp
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't