Post-Aire Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cells and Hassall's Corpuscles as Inducers of Tonic Pro-Inflammatory Microenvironment.

ABSTRACT: While there is convincing evidence on the role of Aire-positive medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTEC) in the induction of central tolerance, the nature and function of post-Aire mTECs and Hassall's corpuscles have remained enigmatic. Here we summarize the existing data on these late stages of mTEC differentiation with special focus on their potential to contribute to central tolerance induction by triggering the unique pro-inflammatory microenvironment in the thymus. In order to complement the existing evidence that has been obtained from mouse models, we performed proteomic analysis on microdissected samples from human thymic medullary areas at different differentiation stages. The analysis confirms that at the post-Aire stages, the mTECs lose their nuclei but maintain machinery requir

SUBMITTER: Laan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8050345 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature