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Updated: May 12, 2026

Preparation and Applications of Organotypic Thymic Slice Cultures
Published on: August 6, 2016
Development and function of cortical thymic epithelial cells
Kensuke Takada1, Izumi Ohigashi, Michiyuki Kasai
1Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto, Tokushima, 770-8503, Japan.
Abstract:
The thymic cortex provides a microenvironment that supports the generation and T cell antigen receptor (TCR)-mediated selection of CD4(+)CD8(+)TCRαβ(+) thymocytes. Cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTECs) are the essential component that forms the architecture of the thymic cortex and induces the generation as well as the selection of newly generated T cells. Here we summarize current knowledge on the development, function, and heterogeneity of cTECs, focusing on the expression and function of β5t, a cTEC-specific subunit of the thymoproteasome.
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