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Thymus

The Site for Development of Cellular Immunity

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Abstract

The immune system protects our bodies against infections and cancers. This review introduce readers to the thymus – a primary lymphoid organ – which is the site of development and maturation of functional T lymphocytes. Progenitor stem cells arise from the bone marrow and undergo sequential development in the thymus where non-self-reactive T cells are selected. Subsequently, post selection and maturation, the mature T cells exit the thymus as naïve T cells into the peripheral lymph nodes. Studies on the thymus are likely to enhance our understanding of T cell development and reduce disease burdens by improving the cellular immune response.

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Correspondence to Shamik Majumdar, Sanmoy Pathak or Dipankar Nandi.

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1 Shamik and 2 Sanmoy are research scholars studying T cell immunity. Dipankar Nandi is a Professor in the Biochemistry Department of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

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Majumdar, S., Pathak, S. & Nandi, D. Thymus. Reson 23, 197–217 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-018-0605-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-018-0605-3

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