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Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Isolation and Transplantation of Different Aged Murine Thymic Grafts.
Published on: May 13, 2015
Thymus: Conservation in evolution
Antonella Franchini1, Enzo Ottaviani1
1Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Abstract:
From an evolutionary point of view, the thymus is a new organ observed for the first time in fish concomitantly with the appearance of adaptive clonotypical immunity. Hormone and neuropeptide expression was demonstrated in different species suggesting a conserved role of these molecules. An integrated evolution of immune and neuroendocrine responses appears to have been realized by means of the re-use of ancestral material, such as neuroendocrine cells and mediators, to create a thymic microenvironment for the maturation and differentiation of T cells.
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