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Thymic reticulum of mice. III. The connective compartment (innervation, vascularisation, fibrous tissues and myoid
1U345 INSERM, CHU Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France.
T lymphocytes interact at various levels of differentiation, with cells of the thymic reticulum, forming a peculiar and complex microenvironment. Following earlier descriptions by electron microscopy of three types of epithelial cells and two types of non-epithelial cells (macrophages and interdigitated cells) forming the thymic microenvironment, we report a study on a third compartment, the connective tissue, whose elements occur throughout the organ. The components of the capsule and trabeculae, the vascularisation and the innervation of the thymus and the presence of a few myoid cells are described. This is very rarely studied in ultrastructure. All these cells are completely imbricated and form a network trapping the lymphocytes, playing an essential role in the differentiation, maturation and selection of T cells.
T lymphocytes interact at various levels of differentiation, with cells of the thymic reticulum, forming a peculiar and complex microenvironment. Following earlier descriptions by electron microscopy of three types of epithelial cells and two types of non-epithelial cells (macrophages and interdigitated cells) forming the thymic microenvironment, we report a study on a third compartment, the connective tissue, whose elements occur throughout the organ. The components of the capsule and trabeculae, the vascularisation and the innervation of the thymus and the presence of a few myoid cells are described. This is very rarely studied in ultrastructure. All these cells are completely imbricated and form a network trapping the lymphocytes, playing an essential role in the differentiation, maturation and selection of T cells.