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  • Opinion
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Thymus involution and regeneration: two sides of the same coin?

Nature Reviews Immunology volume 13, pages 831–838 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

In vertebrates, the thymus is the main site of T cell development. The thymus reaches its maximum output during adolescence, after which it shrinks and generates fewer and fewer T cells. Physiological age-related involution of the thymus and failure to recover after injury are associated with impaired cellular immunity; hence, there is considerable interest in developing strategies to combat these deficiencies. In this Opinion article, we briefly review the phylogenetic and ontogenetic hallmarks of thymus development and function, and we discuss experimental models of impaired thymopoiesis and the molecular mechanisms of thymopoietic recovery. At each stage of the discussion we highlight the major gaps in our current knowledge.

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Figure 1: Development of TECs.
Figure 2: Lympho–stromal interactions underlying T cell development.
Figure 3: Contraction and expansion of TEC populations in different settings.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Max Planck Society and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

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  1. Department of Developmental Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Stuebeweg 51, Freiburg, D-79108, Germany

    Thomas Boehm & Jeremy B. Swann

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  1. Thomas Boehm
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  2. Jeremy B. Swann
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Correspondence to Thomas Boehm.

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Boehm, T., Swann, J. Thymus involution and regeneration: two sides of the same coin?. Nat Rev Immunol 13, 831–838 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri3534

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