(original) (raw)

TY - JOUR AU - Rossi, Simona W. AU - Jenkinson, William E. AU - Anderson, Graham AU - Jenkinson, Eric J. PY - 2006 DA - 2006/06/01 TI - Clonal analysis reveals a common progenitor for thymic cortical and medullary epithelium JO - Nature SP - 988 EP - 991 VL - 441 IS - 7096 AB - The thymus is the main source of T cells that form a major pillar of immune defence against viruses and cancerous cells. It is composed of two epithelial cell types — cortical and medullary — each of which performs distinct tasks in T-cell selection. Whether the two compartments arise from distinct or common progenitors has been controversial. Two groups, working separately, now show that there is a common progenitor for the two tissue types. The fact that a single precursor with stem-cell-like properties can generate both tissues provides hope for the viability of cell-based therapies for thymic disorders. SN - 1476-4687 UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04813 DO - 10.1038/nature04813 ID - Rossi2006 ER -