Hematopoietic Progenitor Migration to the Adult Thymus

Overview

Journal Ann N Y Acad Sci

Specialty Science

Date 2011 Jan 22

PMID 21251013

Citations 45

Authors

Daniel A Zlotoff

Avinash Bhandoola

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Although most hematopoietic lineages develop in the bone marrow (BM), T cells uniquely complete their development in the specialized environment of the thymus. Hematopoietic stem cells with long-term self-renewal capacity are not present in the thymus. As a result, continuous T cell development requires that BM-derived progenitors be imported into the thymus throughout adult life. The process of thymic homing begins with the mobilization of progenitors out of the BM, continues with their circulation in the bloodstream, and concludes with their settling in the thymus. This review will discuss each of these steps as they occur in the unirradiated and postirradiation scenarios, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of regulation. Improved knowledge about these early steps in T cell generation may accelerate the development of new therapeutic options in patients with impaired T cell number or function.

Citing Articles

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