title: Thymic Epithelial Cells.
abstract: Intrathymic T cell development is a complex process that depends upon continuous guidance from thymus stromal cell microenvironments. The thymic epithelium within the thymic stroma comprises highly specialized cells with a high degree of anatomic, phenotypic, and functional heterogeneity. These properties are collectively required to bias thymocyte development toward production of self-tolerant and functionally competent T cells. The importance of thymic epithelial cells (TECs) is evidenced by clear links between their dysfunction and multiple diseases where autoimmunity and immunodeficiency are major components. Consequently, TECs are an attractive target for cell therapies to restore effective immune system function. The pathways and molecular regulators that control TEC development are becoming clearer, as are their influences on particular stages of T cell development. Here, we review both historical and the most recent advances in our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling TEC development, function, dysfunction, and regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel; email: jakub.abramson@weizmann.ac.il.
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Abramson
authors.affiliation: MRC Centre for Immune Regulation, Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; email: g.anderson@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D000096927:AIRE Protein
chemical_list: D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000096927:AIRE Protein; C418974:FOXP3 protein, human
keywords: Aire; Foxp3; T cell; thymic epithelium; thymus; tolerance