High-Oxygen Submersion Fetal Thymus Organ Cultures Enable FOXN1-Dependent and -Independent Support of T Lymphopoiesis.

ABSTRACT: T cell development is effectively supported in fetal thymus organ cultures (FTOCs), which places thymus lobes atop an air-liquid interface (ALI) culture system. The direct exposure to air is critical for its success, as fetal thymus lobes placed in low oxygen submersion (LOS)-FTOCs fail to support thymocyte development. However, submersion cultures performed in the presence of high concentration of ambient oxygen (60~80%) allow for normal thymocyte development, but the underlying mechanism for this rescue has remained elusive. Here, we show that FOXN1 expression in thymic epithelial cells (TECs) from LOS-FTOCs was greatly reduced compared to conventional ALI-FTOCs. Consequently, the expression of important FOXN1 target genes, including Dll4 and Ccl25, in TECs was extinguished

SUBMITTER: Han J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8043069 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature