ISSN:
1432-0878
Keywords:
Key words: Thymus
;
Thymulin
;
Epithelial cells
;
Cell culture
;
Rat (Han:WIST)
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract. A new method for the long-term culture of pure rat thymic epithelial cells was established. The cultures were characterized by immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy and proliferation assays. Non-epithelial thymic cells were eliminated with a reliable and reproducible pre-plating method, by differential trypsin treatment of the cultures and by addition of horse serum to the culture medium instead of fetal calf serum. The final cultures contained more than 95% pure epithelial cells as evidenced by immunostaining for cytokeratin. Ultrastructural studies indicated that these cells are physiologically active epithelial cells with tonofilaments, desmosomes and filopods. The subsets of the thymic epithelial cells in vitro were investigated by comparing their staining pattern with that obtained in situ using several subtype-selective antibodies. Thymic epithelial cells in vitro showed a preferential expression of subcapsular/perivascular and medullary markers. Only few cultivated cells were of cortical origin. In the first to the fourth subcultures, some cells were immunopositive for the thymus hormone/factor thymulin. The proliferation of thymic epithelial cells was stimulated by horse serum and to a lesser extend by fetal calf serum. The adenylate cyclase activators isoproterenol and forskolin, and the glucocorticoid cortisol inhibited the proliferation.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s004410050533
