Thymic rejuvenation and the induction of tolerance by adult thymic grafts.

ABSTRACT: The thymus, the site of origin of T cell immunity, shapes the repertoire of T cell reactivity through positive selection of developing T cells and prevents autoimmunity through negative selection of autoreactive T cells. Previous studies have demonstrated an important role for the thymus not only in central deletional tolerance, but also in the induction of peripheral tolerance by vascularized renal allografts in juvenile miniature swine recipients. The same protocol did not induce tolerance in thymectomized recipients nor in recipients beyond the age of thymic involution. We subsequently reported that vascularized thymic lobe grafts from juvenile donors were capable of inducing tolerance in thymectomized juvenile hosts. However, the important question remained whether aged, involuted thym

SUBMITTER: Nobori S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1748180 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature