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Understanding the mechanisms of the maintenance and invlution of thymus

Description: The thymus is a central lymphoid organ essential for T-cell production. Within the thymus, medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) play a crucial role in central T-cell tolerance. In this study, we have identified the stem cells for mTECs that restore functional medulla formation and prevent the development of autoimmune diseases throughout life-long upon transplantation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the stem cell activity rapidly decreases soon after birth, while the activity is maintained in adult Rag2-deficient mice with impaired T-cell development.

Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Amount: ¥3,900,000

Funding type: fellowship

Funder scheme: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)

Start date: 2015-04-01

End date: 2020-03-31

Investigator: Miho Sekai (lead)

Institutions: Hokkaido University, Kyoto University, Hokkaido University(2019)Kyoto University(2015-2018)

Topic: T-cell and B-cell Immunology

Subfield: Immunology

Field: Immunology and Microbiology

Domain: Life Sciences