Evidence for a functional second thymus in mice |
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Authors: | Terszowski Grzegorz Müller Susanna M Bleul Conrad C Blum Carmen Schirmbeck Reinhold Reimann Jörg Pasquier Louis Du Amagai Takashi Boehm Thomas Rodewald Hans-Reimer |
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Affiliation: | Department of Immunology, University of Ulm, D-89081 Ulm, Germany. |
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Abstract: | The thymus organ supports the development of T cells and is located in the thorax. Here, we report the existence of a second thymus in the mouse neck, which develops after birth and grows to the size of a small lymph node. The cervical thymus had a typical medulla-cortex structure, was found to support T cell development, and could correct T cell deficiency in athymic nude mice upon transplantation. The identification of a regular second thymus in the mouse may provide evolutionary links to thymus organogenesis in other vertebrates and suggests a need to reconsider the effect of thoracic thymectomy on de novo T cell production. |
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