title: B cells in epithelial and perivascular compartments of human adult thymus.
abstract: The thymus is the site of T-cell differentiation. However, the relatively recent observation that B cells are also present in the human thymus has prompted studies to determine the origin and function of these B cells. Our studies show that phenotypically distinguishable B cell populations are located within both the thymic medulla and the thymic perivascular space and that cellular trafficking occurs between these compartments, including B cells trafficking from the periphery. The numbers of thymic B cells increase with age, correlating with increases in lymphocyte-rich regions of thymic perivascular space that are prominent between ages 10 and 50 years. B cells within both thymic epithelial and perivascular compartments contain mutated immunoglobulin VH sequences characteristic of post-germinal center B cells, suggesting that the B cells that most often give rise to thymic B-cell lymphomas may originate from either the thymic medulla or perivascular space.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and the Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Hale
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004848:Epithelium / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015322:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000098:blood supply / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region