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Updated: Dec 20, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing Thymic Epithelial Cells and T-Cell Research with Human Thymic Organoids
Published on: October 4, 2024
Postnatal Involution and Counter-Involution of the Thymus
Jennifer E Cowan1, Yousuke Takahama2, Avinash Bhandoola1
1Laboratory of Genome Integrity, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.
Thymus involution occurs in all vertebrates. It is thought to impact on immune responses in the aged, and in other clinical circumstances such as bone marrow transplantation. Determinants of thymus growth and size are beginning to be identified. Ectopic expression of factors like cyclin D1 and Myc in thymic epithelial cells (TEC)s results in considerable increase in thymus size. These models provide useful experimental tools that allow thymus function to be understood. In future, understanding TEC-specific controllers of growth will provide new approaches to thymus regeneration.
Thymus involution occurs in all vertebrates. It is thought to impact on immune responses in the aged, and in other clinical circumstances such as bone marrow transplantation. Determinants of thymus growth and size are beginning to be identified. Ectopic expression of factors like cyclin D1 and Myc in thymic epithelial cells (TEC)s results in considerable increase in thymus size. These models provide useful experimental tools that allow thymus function to be understood. In future, understanding TEC-specific controllers of growth will provide new approaches to thymus regeneration.
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