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Updated: Jul 24, 2026

Characterization of Thymic Settling Progenitors in the Mouse Embryo Using In Vivo and In Vitro Assays
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Published on: June 9, 2015

Development of the thymus

D E Bockman1

  • 1Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-2000, USA.

Microscopy Research and Technique
|August 1, 1997
PubMed

Proper development of the thymus is critical for an individual to acquire full immune capability. A full complement of the components that participate in thymic development, interacting with each other at the correct time, is required for maturation. In order to establish the microenvironment necessary for T-cell differentiation, the epithelial primordium of the thymus must expand from pharyngeal endoderm with the aid of contributions from the ectoderm. Experimental studies have established the importance of mesenchymal derivatives from the neural crest in functional development of the epithelial primordium. Interfering with this process inhibits thymic development in a manner similar to that observed in congenital conditions such as the DiGeorge syndrome and the fetal alcohol syndrome. These observations provide clues to understanding the origin of defects in thymus-dependent immunity, and point the way to studies that will expand our understanding of the controls that are involved in genetic and environmental factors impacting on this process.

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