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Myc controls a distinct transcriptional program in fetal thymic epithelial cells that determines thymus growth
Interactions between thymic epithelial cells (TEC) and developing thymocytes are essential for T cell development, but molecular insights on TEC and thymus homeostasis are still lacking. Here we identify distinct transcriptional programs of TEC that account for their age-specific properties, includi...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Nature Publishing Group UK
2019
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6889275/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31792212 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13465-y |
Sumario: | Interactions between thymic epithelial cells (TEC) and developing thymocytes are essential for T cell development, but molecular insights on TEC and thymus homeostasis are still lacking. Here we identify distinct transcriptional programs of TEC that account for their age-specific properties, including proliferation rates, engraftability and function. Further analyses identify Myc as a regulator of fetal thymus development to support the rapid increase of thymus size during fetal life. Enforced Myc expression in TEC induces the prolonged maintenance of a fetal-specific transcriptional program, which in turn extends the growth phase of the thymus and enhances thymic output; meanwhile, inducible expression of Myc in adult TEC similarly promotes thymic growth. Mechanistically, this Myc function is associated with enhanced ribosomal biogenesis in TEC. Our study thus identifies age-specific transcriptional programs in TEC, and establishes that Myc controls thymus size. |
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