{"database":"GEO","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"omics_type":["Genomics"],"species":["Mus musculus"],"gds_type":["Genome binding/occupancy profiling by high throughput sequencing"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE326310"],"repository":["GEO"],"entry_type":["GSE"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"EpCAM identifies a developmentally poised DN thymocyte subset that drives T-cell production","description":"The age-related decline in thymic function is a major contributor to immune senescence. While stromal degeneration is a known cause, the intrinsic heterogeneity and regulatory mechanisms within early thymocyte progenitors are poorly understood. Here, we report that the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), conventionally a marker of thymic epithelial cells, identifies a functionally distinct subset within double-negative (DN) thymocytes. EpCAM⁺ DN cells are transcriptionally and epigenetically primed for T-cell lineage commitment, exhibit superior proliferative and differentiation potential in vitro, and serve as the dominant precursors for T-cell reconstitution in vivo. This progenitor pool expands acutely following thymic injury but undergoes pronounced contraction with age, a trajectory conserved in the human thymus. Our findings redefine EpCAM as a marker of a developmentally competent DN thymocyte state, whose erosion contributes to thymic involution and presents a potential target for regenerative strategies.","dates":{"publication":"2026/04/04"},"accession":"GSE326310","cross_references":{"GSM":["GSM9628958","GSM9628955","GSM9628956","GSM9628957"],"GPL":["34290"],"GSE":["326310"],"taxon":["Mus musculus"]}}