title: Beta-catenin expression in thymocytes accelerates thymic involution.
abstract: Age-related thymic involution in mammals is accompanied by decreased generation of naïve T cells without significant reduction in the number of peripheral T cells. This leads to inefficient immune responses and inadequate combating of infections and other challenges to the immune system in older mammals. The molecular mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon are not known. In this report we show that expression of beta-catenin in thymocytes enhances thymic involution. The effect of beta-catenin expression is seen in all the thymic sub-populations, suggesting that an age-related developmental process is accelerated. We also show that, as in normal mice, thymic involution does not lead to a drastic reduction in splenic T cells in beta-catenin-transgenic mice. This study identifies beta-catenin expression in thymocytes as a molecular target of age-related thymic involution.
authors.affiliation: Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Youyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jyoti
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sen
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D016923:Cell Death; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495267:CTNNB1 protein, mouse; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin