Project description:Comparison of gene expression profiles between RTOC and 2D culture of thymic stromal cells Beta5t, which is a specific subunit of thymoproteasomes, is indispensable for maturation of CD8+ T cells. beta5t is expressed in thymus, and it is necessary for its expression to maintain 3D architecture of thymus. To search for the genes associated with its expression, we performed the microarray analysis, and compared expression levels of each gene between reaggregate thymus organ culture (RTOC) and 2D culture of thymic stromal cells.
Project description:SILAC based protein correlation profiling using size exclusion of protein complexes derived from Mus musculus tissues (Heart, Liver, Lung, Kidney, Skeletal Muscle, Thymus)
Project description:SILAC based protein correlation profiling using size exclusion of protein complexes derived from seven Mus musculus tissues (Heart, Brain, Liver, Lung, Kidney, Skeletal Muscle, Thymus)
Project description:Although the advent of organoids opened unprecedented perspectives for basic and translational research, immune system-related organoids remain largely underdeveloped. Here we established organoids from the thymus, the lymphoid organ responsible for T cell development. We identified conditions enabling thymic epithelial progenitor cell proliferation and development into organoids with diverse cell populations and transcriptional profiles resembling in vivo thymic epithelial cells (TECs) more closely than traditional TEC cultures. Contrary to these two-dimensional cultures, thymic epithelial organoids maintained thymus functionality in vitro and mediated physiological T cell development upon reaggregation with T cell progenitors. The reaggregates showed in vivo-like epithelial diversity and ability to attract T cell progenitors. Thymic epithelial organoids are the first organoids originating from the stromal compartment of a lymphoid organ. They provide new opportunities to study TEC biology and T cell development in vitro, paving the way for future thymic regeneration strategies in ageing or acute injuries.
Project description:Although the advent of organoids opened unprecedented perspectives for basic and translational research, immune system-related organoids remain largely underdeveloped. Here we established organoids from the thymus, the lymphoid organ responsible for T cell development. We identified conditions enabling thymic epithelial progenitor cell proliferation and development into organoids with diverse cell populations and transcriptional profiles resembling in vivo thymic epithelial cells (TECs) more closely than traditional TEC cultures. Contrary to these two-dimensional cultures, thymic epithelial organoids maintained thymus functionality in vitro and mediated physiological T cell development upon reaggregation with T cell progenitors. The reaggregates showed in vivo-like epithelial diversity and ability to attract T cell progenitors. Thymic epithelial organoids are the first organoids originating from the stromal compartment of a lymphoid organ. They provide new opportunities to study TEC biology and T cell development in vitro, paving the way for future thymic regeneration strategies in ageing or acute injuries.
Project description:Introgressed variants from other species can be an important source of genetic variation because they may arise rapidly, can include multiple mutations on a single haplotype, and have often been pretested by selection in the species of origin. Although introgressed alleles are generally deleterious, several studies have reported introgression as the source of adaptive alleles-including the rodenticide-resistant variant of Vkorc1 that introgressed from Mus spretus into European populations of Mus musculus domesticus. Here, we conducted bidirectional genome scans to characterize introgressed regions into one wild population of M. spretus from Spain and three wild populations of M. m. domesticus from France, Germany, and Iran. Despite the fact that these species show considerable intrinsic postzygotic reproductive isolation, introgression was observed in all individuals, including in the M. musculus reference genome (GRCm38). Mus spretus individuals had a greater proportion of introgression compared with M. m. domesticus, and within M. m. domesticus, the proportion of introgression decreased with geographic distance from the area of sympatry. Introgression was observed on all autosomes for both species, but not on the X-chromosome in M. m. domesticus, consistent with known X-linked hybrid sterility and inviability genes that have been mapped to the M. spretus X-chromosome. Tract lengths were generally short with a few outliers of up to 2.7 Mb. Interestingly, the longest introgressed tracts were in olfactory receptor regions, and introgressed tracts were significantly enriched for olfactory receptor genes in both species, suggesting that introgression may be a source of functional novelty even between species with high barriers to gene flow.
Project description:In the earliest step of thymic organogenesis, mesenchymal cells support the growth of thymic epithelial cells (TECs). It is established that TECs and thymocytes influence each other for their growth/differentiation, a process called thymic crosstalk. However, little is known about the influence of developing thymocytes or TECs on mesenchymal cells. Here, we show that during normal thymus development fibroblast ingrowth occurs towards hypoxic areas. Similar overgrowth of mesenchymal cells is seen in a fetal thymic organ culture system under low oxygen conditions. However, when thymocytes were depleted by deoxyguanosine treatment, mesenchymal cells were also induced, precluding the direct effect of hypoxia. In the fetal thymus of hCD3εTg mice, which lack T lineage cells, an overgrowth of mesenchymal cells can be seen at a very early stage of thymic organogenesis. The growth of the mesenchymal cells is due to extensive proliferation and not mere enrichment. With RNA sequencing analysis comparing hCD3εTg with wild type TECs, we identified candidate factors that could be involved in mesenchymal network formation.