Understanding for the mechanism of thymic involution during aging

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K16689
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 49070:Immunology-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University (2020-2022); Hokkaido University (2019)
• Principal Investigator: Sekai Miho 京都大学, 医学研究科, 特定助教 (50737533)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 胸腺

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The thymus is a central lymphoid organ essential for T-cell production. Although it is well known that the thymus involutes with age, the mechanism of the thymic involution remain unclear. We have previously identified thymic epithelial stem cells that support T cell development and demonstrated that the stem cell activity decline with age. In this study, we identified a T cell population that affects the activity of thymic epithelial stem cells and revealed the mechanism to regulate stem cell activity.

Free Research Field

免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、胸腺上皮細胞の幹細胞の活性を評価できるコロニー培養系を確立し、それを用いて生理的な胸腺退縮メカニズムの一端を明らかにした。本コロニー培養系は、胸腺上皮幹細胞活性を制御するメカニズムの解明を可能にし、今後さらなる研究の推進に貢献できると期待される。また、特定のT細胞集団が胸腺上皮幹細胞を制御する分子メカニズムを明らかにすることで、胸腺退縮を制御できる可能性がある。これらの研究は、胸腺および免疫系の維持や制御についての理解に繋がると考えられる。