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At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Innervation of the rat thymus gland.

Current views from different laboratories on the innervation of the thymus gland are reviewed with particular reference to the rat. Noradrenergic nerve profiles of the sympathetic nervous system have been demonstrated in the subcapsular cortex, at the corticomedullary junction and in the cortex itself, and extremely sparsely in the medulla. By following beta-adrenergic receptor development in postnatal rats, it has been shown that there is a marked increase in density and morphological organization of the receptor in the medulla with the maturation of thymocyte function (monitored by measuring the proliferation response to concanavalin A) and a sexual dimorphism during the ontogeny of the receptor. Chemical sympathectomy of adult rats with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or guanethidine resulted in a loss of thymus weight, decreased cellularity, and increased apoptosis but a rise in the numbers of proliferating cells in the cortex. By contrast, proliferation of peripheral T cells was reduced after the use of 6-OHDA. Chemical sympathectomy also demonstrated that there were at least three nerve nets in the gland: noradrenergic neural profiles that were destroyed with both 6-OHDA and guanethidine, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-positive profiles that persisted, and AChE- and CGRP-positive profiles and cells that also persisted but had a different distribution to VIP-positive fibers. Some functional correlates of thymic innervation are discussed although the subject now needs to be further researched.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Metaplasia and dysplasia of thymus gland epithelium].

Morphology of the thymus in autoimmune and some other conditions with an accidental thymus involution is studied. Metaplasia and dysplasia of epithelial cells which should be regarded as precancer condition were found in 7-10% of cases in the parenchyma in the presence of atrophic changes.

Atrophy↗
PubMed1990

Tin and the thymus gland: a review.

Experimental studies over the last decade have suggested an association between thymus immune and homeostatic function and exogenous tin. It has been hypothesized that the thymus gland synthesizes and secretes one or more tin bearing factors that enhance immune defenses against malignancy and retard the gradual loss of immune capacity with senescence. This review conciliates data from several divergent areas of research in order to explore the rationale for the above concepts.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

The disposition and the liver and thymus gland toxicity of 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl in the female rat.

3,3',4,4'-Tetrachlorobiphenyl (TCBP) was administered orally to adult female Sprague--Dawley rats in the oral dosage regimen, 5 mg X kg-1 X day-1 for 21 days, followed by a 22-day postdosing period. Control animals received either the corn-oil vehicle (1 mL X kg-1 X day-1) or no treatment. 3,3',4,4'-TCBP distributed preferentially into the adipose tissue and liver, and apparent steady-state xenobiotic concentrations were attained in the adipose tissue (8 micrograms/g) and liver (300 ng/g) prior to the cessation of dosing. The 3,3',4,4'-TCBP concentrations in the serum, brain, kidneys, and thymus gland were lower and more variable than those in the adipose tissue and liver. During the postdosing period, 3,3',4,4'-TCBP was eliminated from the adipose tissue and liver by apparent first-order kinetics with elimination half-life values of 2.5 days and 0.8 day, respectively. The major route of excretion of unmetabolized 3,3',4,4'-TCBP was via the feces, and the amount excreted over 24 h did not exceed 8% of the dose administered on any given day. Throughout the experiment, there were no differences in the body weight or food and water intake for the 3,3',4,4'-TCBP-treated animals compared with the corn-oil-treated and nontreated rats. There was a significant increase in liver weight and a significant decrease in thymus gland weight for the 3,3',4,4'-TCBP-treated rats compared with the corn-oil-treated rats at the cessation of dosing and at 11 days thereafter, but there were no observable histological changes in these organs as assessed by light microscopy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1980

Sendai virus-specific, H-2-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses of nude mice grafted with allogeneic or semi-allogeneic thymus glands.

The in vitro secondary cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response to Sendai virus-treated stimulator cells by primed spleen cells from thymus gland-grafted nude mice was examined. BALB/c (H-2d) nude mice grafted with allogeneic C57BL/10 (H-2b) thymus glands developed CTL responses directed exclusively to Sendai virus-infected H-2d target cells. (C57BL/6 X BALB/c)F1 nude mice grafted with thymus glands of either parent developed CTL responses preferentially against infected target cells expressing the MHC antigens present in the parental thymus graft, but also had detectable activity for infected target cells of the parental haplotype not expressed in the thymus. These results provide evidence against the concept that self recognition by MHC-restricted CTL is directed exclusively by the MCH type of the thymus.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Purification of terminal riboadenylate transferase from calf thymus gland.

A poly(A) polymerase has been purified from the soluble protein fraction of calf thymus gland. The activity is cytoplasmic and nonparticulate. Mn-2+ATP is the preferred substrate. On the basis of disc gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gels, gel filtration, and sedimentation velocity in sucrose gradients, the enzyme has a molecular weight of 62,000 and appears to consist of one polypeptide chain. The enzyme preparation is shown to be nearly homogeneous by disc gel electrophoresis and isoelectric-focusing. The activity has a pI of about 7.4. The specific activity of the enzyme is about 1700 mumol per hour per mg of protein, giving a turnover number of about 1800 mol of substrate per mol of enzyme min- minus 1. The activity is highly specific for ATP and is inhibited by other ribonucleoside triphosphates. It is sensitive to high levels of RNA-polymerase inhibitors. Km for oligoadenylate is 50 muM in the presence of Mn-2+ and 200 muM in Mg-2+ and equivalent Vmax is achieved with either metal ion. The initiator function may be filled by a variety of oligoribonucleotides having a free 3'-OH.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1990

[Effect of separate and combined effects of plutonium-239, hexachlorobutadiene and tributyl phosphate on the thymus gland of rats].

It has been established in the experiment on rats exposed to a joint action of plutonium-239, hexachlorobutadiene and ++tributyl phosphate, that manifestations of disturbances from radiation and chemical factors which are more expressed under a joint exposure, are characteristic of the thymus gland damage pattern. As far as lymphocytes count in the organ is concerned, the effect of the joint exposure is no more than additive.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Thymulin (facteur thymique serique) and zinc contents of the thymus glands of malnourished children.

Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) leads to an immune deficiency, which is now well documented. Some investigators have suggested that the associated zinc deficiency is important in thymic involution and changes in cellular immunity. To evaluate the respective roles of nutritional deficiency, infection, and zinc in the alteration of thymic function, we measured the amounts of thymulin (facteur thymic serique, or FTS) and of Zn in the thymus glands of 58 Senegalese children who died in various stages of malnutrition. In the severe forms (marasmus, kwashiorkor, and marasmic kwashiorkor) the thymus was tiny and contained very little thymulin. The Zn content of the thymus was high whatever the nutritional state of the subject and was related significantly only to the presence of infections. In Senegalese children thymic atrophy and depleted thymulin content are associated with severe PEM but not systemic infection or depleted thymic Zn content.

Animals↗