| First Author | Screpanti I | Year | 1995 |
| Journal | J Cell Biol | Volume | 130 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 183-92 |
| PubMed ID | 7540616 | Mgi Jnum | J:26537 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:73982 | Doi | 10.1083/jcb.130.1.183 |
| Citation | Screpanti I, et al. (1995) Epidermal growth factor promotes a neural phenotype in thymic epithelial cells and enhances neuropoietic cytokine expression. J Cell Biol 130(1):183-92 |
| abstractText | Neural crest-derived cells populate the thymus, and their coexistence with epithelial cells is required for proper organ development and T cell education function. We show here that epidermal growth factor (EGF), a major epithelial cell growth-enhancing agent, has a morphogenetic action to promote the expression of a neuronal phenotype (e.g., neurofilament expression) in cultured thymic epithelial cells that are characterized by a cytokeratin-positive epithelial cell background. The proliferation of such neurodifferentiated cells is also enhanced by EGF. Furthermore, the growth factor enhances cells that express the genes encoding the preprotachykinin A-generated neuropeptides and bipotential neuropoietic and lymphopoietic cytokines ciliary neurotrophic factor and interleukin-6. These cytokines also enhance the neuronal phenotype of thymic epithelial cells. Therefore, EGF appears to be a composite autocrine/paracrine neuromodulator in thymic stroma. This suggests that EGF may regulate thymus-dependent immune functions by promoting neuronal gene expression in neural crest-derived cells. |
