Thymic Involution and Immune Reconstitution

Overview

Journal Trends Immunol

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2009 Jun 23

PMID 19540807

Citations 215

Authors

Heather E Lynch

Gabrielle L Goldberg

Ann Chidgey

Marcel R M van den Brink

Richard Boyd

Gregory D Sempowski

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Chronic thymus involution associated with aging results in less efficient T-cell development and decreased emigration of naïve T cells to the periphery. Thymic decline in the aged is linked to increased morbidity and mortality in a wide range of clinical settings. Negative consequences of these effects on global health make it of paramount importance to understand the mechanisms driving thymic involution and homeostatic processes across the lifespan. There is growing evidence that thymus tissue is plastic and that the involution process might be therapeutically halted or reversed. We present here progress on the exploitation of thymosuppressive and thymostimulatory pathways using factors such as keratinocyte growth factor, interleukin 7 or sex steroid ablation for therapeutic thymus restoration and peripheral immune reconstitution in adults.

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