Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Cellular mechanism of thymic involution.

L Li1, H-C Hsu, W E Grizzle

  • 1Department of Pathology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.

Scandinavian Journal of Immunology
|May 20, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Sexually Different Parental Inputs in Pheasant-tailed Jacanas and the Correlates with Brood Success.

Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England)·2025
Same author

Chondroitin Sulfate Enhances Proliferation and Migration via Inducing β-Catenin and Intracellular ROS as Well as Suppressing Metalloproteinases through Akt/NF-κB Pathway Inhibition in Human Chondrocytes.

The journal of nutrition, health & aging·2022
Same author

Eczematous skin eruption on a farmer's leg in central Taiwan.

Clinical and experimental dermatology·2019
Same author

TRIM66 promotes malignant progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting E-cadherin expression through the EMT pathway.

European review for medical and pharmacological sciences·2019
Same author

MicroRNA-9-5p promotes osteoporosis development through inhibiting osteogenesis and promoting adipogenesis via targeting Wnt3a.

European review for medical and pharmacological sciences·2019
Same author

MiR-7 regulates the PI3K/AKT/VEGF pathway of retinal capillary endothelial cell and retinal pericytes in diabetic rat model through IRS-1 and inhibits cell proliferation.

European review for medical and pharmacological sciences·2018

Rapid thymic involution in DBA/2 mice involves increased thymocyte apoptosis and disorganized stromal cells, unlike slower involution in C57BL/6 mice. Genetic background significantly impacts age-related thymic changes.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Gerontology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Age-related immune senescence is characterized by thymic involution and altered thymocyte development.
  • The thymus plays a crucial role in T cell maturation and immune system function.
  • Understanding the mechanisms of thymic involution is key to addressing age-related immune decline.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comparatively analyze thymocyte and stromal changes during thymic involution in DBA/2 (rapid) and C57BL/6 (slow) mouse strains.
  • To investigate the impact of genetic background on age-related alterations in thymic involution.
  • To identify specific cellular and molecular defects contributing to accelerated thymic aging.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of thymocyte counts, T cell development, and thymic cortex morphology.

Related Experiment Videos

  • TUNEL staining and Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) to assess apoptosis.
  • Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) staining and [3H]-thymidine incorporation assays to evaluate proliferation.
  • Immunohistochemical staining for stromal components (MTS-10+ epithelial cells, MTS-16+ connective tissue).

    • Main Results:

    • DBA/2 mice at 15 months showed decreased thymocyte count, blocked T cell development, and cortical involution compared to 3-month-old mice.
    • Increased apoptotic cells were observed in the thymus cortex of 15-month-old DBA/2 mice versus age-matched C57BL/6 mice.
    • Thymocyte proliferation was lower in young (3-month-old) DBA/2 mice compared to C57BL/6 mice.
    • Thymic stromal cell arrangement (epithelial and connective tissue) was disorganized in aged DBA/2 mice but intact in aged C57BL/6 mice.

    Conclusions:

    • DBA/2 mice exhibit accelerated thymic involution with significant age-related defects in both thymocytes and stromal cells.
    • The genetic background of mice plays a critical role in determining the rate and characteristics of thymic involution.
    • These findings highlight genetic factors influencing immune senescence and thymic aging processes.