自体造血干细胞移植后的胸腺近期输出功能

目的:了解血液病患者接受自体造血干细胞移植(auto-HSCT)后外周血中的T细胞受体重排删除环(TRECs)水平,从而了解其胸腺近期输出功能和T细胞免疫重建情况。方法:采用实时定量PCR法检测9例血液病患者经auto-HSCT治疗后外周血单个核细胞(PBMNCs)中的TRECs水平;22例正常人外周血样本作为对照。结果:PBMNCs中的TRECs水平有着较大的个体差异,年龄与PBMNCs中的TRECs水平呈负相关;auto-HSCT组的每1 000个PBMNCs中的TRECs平均拷贝数(2.533±4.194)明显低于正常组(4.367±3.626)(P<0.05),但部分病例的TRECs水平已基本达到正常水平。结论:在一定时间内,auto-HSCT后的胸腺近期输出功能仍较低,不同个体T细胞免疫重建时间存在差异。     

Serum thymic factor as a radioprotective agent promoting survival after X-irradiation

Summary Serum thymic factor (FTS, zinc-free thymulin) protected mice from death after whole-body X-irradiation. It was significantly radioprotective even when administered after irradiation, but it was more effective when administered both before and after irradiation. The protective effect appears to be due to the enhancement of hematologic recovery in the animals.     

Have we underestimated the importance of the thymus in man?

Summary Recent immunological research has concentrated on the complex and subtle interactions between T cells, B cells and accessory cells. In these studies, little attention has been given to the adult thymus gland. Modern textbooks of disease and anatomy all stress that the gland undergoes fatty involution with age in man but omit reference to the statements here and there in the literature that the gland is active and produces lymphocytes throughout life. To suggest that the bone marrow, which also builds up fat throughout life, is atrophic and not important to adult man would deny all modern hematological concepts. Yet few people today take a parallel view of the thymus except perhaps those investigating aging and thymic hormones. In both of these areas of research it is obvious that the thymus must be active throughout life for continued good health. This brief review urges that a thorough understanding of the vital importance of the thymus in adult life is now needed. From it could emerge a new philosophy on the treatment of immune diseases in both the young (SCID and AIDS patients) and in the aged (autoimmune conditions and cancers) and it would aid our treatment of patients recovering from illnesses and from many drug treatments.     

The binding of FITC-insulin to ANAE-positive cells in rat thymus

Summary To determine if thymic macrophages have insulin receptors, alternate sections of rat thymus were stained with FITC-insulin and examined for nonspecific esterase (ANAE) activity. Cells showing a diffuse ANAE staining pattern also bound FITC-insulin. These cells were concentrated in the cortico-medullary border and increased in number following administration of cortisol. Thymic macrophages may be insulin-dependent and therefore could be malfunctional in diabetes.     

不同栽培基质对切花菊养分及生理特性的影响

通过盆栽试验,研究7种不同基质对切花菊养分及生理特性的影响,结果表明：棉籽壳＋腐熟稻草的效果最佳,其次是锯木屑＋腐熟稻草,蘑菇渣＋腐熟稻草居三,其它4种基质均较差。     

Analysis on the types of chemokines expressed by the murine thymic epithelial cell line MTEC1

Six kinds of chemokines including SDF-1α, IP-10, KC, RANTES, MCP-1 and Lymphotactin have been amplified using the primers designed by ourselves with RT-PCR from the total RNA of a medullary-type murine thymic epithelial cell line MTEC1 cells. The amplified cDNA fragments of the chemokines have been identified by nucleotide sequencing and Northern blot analysis. The results demonstrate that there are two different splicing forms of SDF-1 mRNA existing in MTEC1. The concentrated culture supernatant of MTEC1 shows an intermediate level of chemotaxis to CD4⁻CD8⁻ thymocytes, which conforms to the biological function of SDF-1.     

骨髓基质细胞与成骨

自体红骨髓异位移植后，骨髓基质细胞可增殖并分化成骨，动物实验和临床实践提示，自体红骨髓复合模骨有助于骨折愈合。     

板蓝根凝集素对小鼠胸腺淋巴细胞分裂作用的电镜观察

目的：研究板蓝根凝集素引起小鼠胸腺淋巴细胞分袭增殖过程中的超微结构变化。方法：用生物化学方法提取板蓝根凝集素，并测其凝集活性，以0．054mg/kg/d的剂量灌胃，连续30d，胸腺组织经处理后，用Epon812包埋，经超薄切片后，在电镜下观察，结果：与对照组相比，实验组小鼠胸腺淋巴细胞质内的线粒体、核糖体数量均较对照组多，处于分裂前期的细胞数目较对照组多。结论：板蓝根凝集素可能具有促进小鼠胸腺淋巴细胞分裂的作用。     

Immigration of lymphoid precursor cells into the thymic rudiment inXenopus

Summary The origin of thymic lymphocytes was investigated, using a new reliable method to mark cells inXenopus. It was easily observed that extraneous cells immigrated into the thymic rudiment 4 days after fertilization and differentiated into a cell population identified as thymic lymphocytes in a fully developed thymus. Clearly, lymphoid precursor cells are of extrinsic origin.This work was supported in part by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Science and culture of Japan (No. 59770026).     

Molecular and cellular mechanisms of T Cell development

The thymus is central to the establishment of a functioning immune system. Here is the place where T cells mature from hematopoietic progenitors, driven by mutual interactions of stromal cells and the developing thymocytes. As a result, different types of T cells are generated, all of which have been carefully selected for the ability to act in host defense towards non-self and against the potential to mount pathogenic self-reactive autoimmune responses. In this review we summarize our present knowlege on the lineage decisions taking place during this development, the selection processes responsible for shaping the T cell antigen-receptor repertoire, the interactions with the stromal components and the signal transduction pathways which transform the interactions with the thymic microenvironment into cellular responses of survival, proliferation, differentiation and, importantly, also of cell death. Received 12 June 2003; received after revision 22 July 2003; accepted 28 July 2003