Thymic nurse cell (TNC) (mouse)

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Title Thymic nurse cell (TNC) (mouse)
Creator Poels, Lambert G.
Contributor Lambert G. Poels, PhD, UMC St Radboud Nijmegen; Paul H. K. Jap, PhD, UMC St Radboud Nijmegen
Date 2010-06-11
Subject epithelioreticular cell type II; thymic nurse cell
Description Electron microscopy. The thymic nurse cell (TNC) consists of an epithelial reticular cell (type II) enclosing thymocytes. The TNC exists as a sealed structure in situ, i.e. the lymphocytes within the TNC are isolated from the general thymic environment. TNC are located in the cortex, where mature thymocytes are rare. (1): thymocytes enclosed in the arms of a TNC cell possessing several nuclei (2). Background: The occurrence of mature phenotype cells as well as immature lymphocytes with low CD3 expression level, within these structures, suggests that they represent a microenvironment for the selection and generation of mature T cells. They express MHC, secrete hormones and cytokines. A single TNC, by providing specific microenvironments, might have different roles in T cell development: phagocyte activity; nursing activity; capability to stimulate proliferation of thymic T cells and probably mediating selection processes.
Subtype Image
Format image/jpeg
Rights https://rightsstatements.org/page/CNE/1.0/
Collection Poja Histology Collection - Lymphatic Tissues and Organs Subset
ARK ark:/87278/s6ng7sw2
Setname ehsl_heal
ID 890924
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6ng7sw2
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