| First Author | Fujimori S | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | Elife | Volume | 11 |
| PubMed ID | 35042581 | Mgi Jnum | J:318898 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6861545 | Doi | 10.7554/eLife.69088 |
| Citation | Fujimori S, et al. (2022) Fine-tuning of beta-catenin in mouse thymic epithelial cells is required for postnatal T-cell development. Elife 11:e69088 |
| abstractText | In the thymus, the thymic epithelium provides a microenvironment essential for the development of functionally competent and self-tolerant T cells. Previous findings showed that modulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in mouse thymic epithelial cells (TECs) disrupts embryonic thymus organogenesis. However, the role of beta-catenin in TECs for postnatal T-cell development remains to be elucidated. Here, we analyzed gain-of-function (GOF) and loss-of-function (LOF) of beta-catenin highly specific in mouse TECs. We found that GOF of beta-catenin in TECs results in severe thymic dysplasia and T-cell deficiency beginning from the embryonic period. By contrast, LOF of beta-catenin in TECs reduces the number of cortical TECs and thymocytes modestly and only postnatally. These results indicate that fine-tuning of beta-catenin expression within a permissive range is required for TECs to generate an optimal microenvironment to support postnatal T-cell development. |
