Mechanisms of Thymus Organogenesis and Morphogenesis

Overview

Journal Development

Specialty Biology

Date 2011 Aug 25

PMID 21862553

Citations 110

Authors

Julie Gordon

Nancy R Manley

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The thymus is the primary organ responsible for generating functional T cells in vertebrates. Although T cell differentiation within the thymus has been an area of intense investigation, the study of thymus organogenesis has made slower progress. The past decade, however, has seen a renewed interest in thymus organogenesis, with the aim of understanding how the thymus develops to form a microenvironment that supports T cell maturation and regeneration. This has prompted modern revisits to classical experiments and has driven additional genetic approaches in mice. These studies are making significant progress in identifying the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control specification, early organogenesis and morphogenesis of the thymus.

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