Project description:We profiled medullary thymic epithelial cell subsets from a variety of conditions by scRNA-seq to investigate mechanisms of T-cell tolerance.
Project description:Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) belong to a group of tumors that rarely occur, but have unresolved mechanisms and heterogeneous clinical behaviors. Current care of TET patients demands biomarkers of high sensitivity and specificity for accurate histological classification and prognosis management. In this study, 90 fresh-frozen tissue samples were recruited to generate a quantitative and systematic view of proteomic landscape of TETs by data independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) leading to discovery of novel classifying molecules among different TET subtypes.
Project description:We profiled the zebrafish thymus by single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate the heterogeneity of zebrafish thymic epithelial cells and determine whether similar mimetic cell populations to those found in mice and humans might also exist in the zebrafish.
Project description:T cell development in the thymus is essential for cellular immunity and depends on the organotypic thymic epithelial microenvironment. Compared to other organs, the size and cellular composition of the thymus is unusually dynamic, exemplified by rapid growth and high T cell output during early stages of development, followed by a gradual loss of functional thymic epithelial cells and diminished naïve T cell production with age. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has uncovered an unexpected heterogeneity of cell types in the thymic epithelium of young and aged adult mice; however, the identities and developmental dynamics of putative pre- and postnatal epithelial progenitors have remained unresolved. Here, we combine scRNA-seq and a novel CRISPR/Cas9-based cellular barcoding system in mice to determine qualitative and quantitative changes in the thymic epithelium over time. This dual approach enabled us to identify two principal progenitor populations: an early bi-potent progenitor type biased towards cortical epithelium, and a postnatal bi-potent progenitor population biased towards medullary epithelium. We further demonstrate that continuous autocrine provision of Fgf7 leads to sustained expansion of thymic microenvironments without exhausting the epithelial progenitor pools, suggesting a strategy to modulate the extent of thymopoietic activity.
