Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Isolation, Identification, and Purification of Murine Thymic Epithelial Cells
Published on: August 8, 2014
Molecular regulatory networks of thymic epithelial cell differentiation
Rong Luan1, Zhanfeng Liang1, Qian Zhang2
1State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Functional mature T cells are generated in the thymus. Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) provide the essential microenvironment for T cell development and maturation. According to their function and localization, TECs are roughly divided into cortical TECs (cTECs) and medullary TECs (mTECs), which are responsible for positive and negative selection, respectively. This review summarizes the current understanding of TEC biology, the identification of fetal and adult bipotent TEC progenitors, and the signaling pathways that control the development and maturation of TECs. The understanding of the ontogeny, differentiation, maturation and function of cTECs lags behind that of mTECs. Better understanding TEC biology will provide clues about TEC development and the applications of thymus engineering.
More Related Videos
08:02Promoting 3-D Aggregation of FACS Purified Thymic Epithelial Cells with EAK 16-II/EAKIIH6 Self-assembling Hydrogel
Published on: June 27, 2016
06:473D Organotypic Co-culture Model Supporting Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cell Proliferation, Differentiation and Promiscuous Gene Expression
Published on: July 30, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Cis-regulatory Sequences
Cis-regulatory Sequences
Protein Networks
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...
Network Covalent Solids
To break or to melt a covalent network solid, covalent bonds must be broken. Because covalent bonds are relatively strong, covalent network solids are typically...
Global Regulatory Systems
B Cell Activation and Differentiation
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...