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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Characterization of Thymic Settling Progenitors in the Mouse Embryo Using In Vivo and In Vitro Assays
Published on: June 9, 2015
TSLP is involved in expansion of early thymocyte progenitors
Qi Jiang1, V McNeil Coffield, Motonari Kondo
1Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, UNC at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. qi_jiang@med.unc.edu <qi_jiang@med.unc.edu>
Background:
Thymic stromal derived lymphopoietin (TSLP) is preferentially and highly expressed in the thymus, but its function in T cell development is not clear.
Results:
We report here that TSLP, independently or in combination with IL-7, enhances thymopoiesis in the murine fetal thymic organ culture (FTOC) model. Furthermore, TSLP preferentially increases the number and proliferation of the (DN1 and DN2) pro-T progenitor cells, and FTOC lobes from TSLP receptor-null mice show a decreased number of these cells. Finally, DN1-DN2 cells expanded with TSLP in vitro are functional T progenitors that are able to differentiate into mature T cells in fetal or adult thymus organs.
Conclusion:
Together, these data suggest that TSLP plays an important role in expansion of thymocyte progenitors and may be of value for expanding T progenitor cells in vitro.
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