Abstract
Central T cell tolerance is believed to be mainly induced by thymic dendritic cells and medullary thymic epithelial cells. The thymus also harbors substantial numbers of B cells. These may arise though intrathymic B lymphopoiesis or immigration from the bloodstream. Importantly, and in contrast to resting "mainstream" B cells in the periphery, thymic B cells display elevated levels of MHC class II and constitutively express CD80. Arguably, their most unexpected feature is the expression of autoimmune regulator. These unique features of thymic B cells result from a licensing process that involves cross-talk with CD4 single-positive T cells and CD40 signaling. Together, these recent findings suggest that B cells play a more prominent role as thymic APCs than previously appreciated.
Item Type: | Journal article |
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Faculties: | Medicine > Institute for Immunology |
Subjects: | 600 Technology > 610 Medicine and health |
URN: | urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-34171-4 |
ISSN: | 1664-3224 |
Language: | English |
Item ID: | 34171 |
Date Deposited: | 15. Feb 2017, 16:03 |
Last Modified: | 04. Nov 2020, 13:12 |