Blood–thymus barrier
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
The blood–thymus barrier regulates exchange of substances between the circulatory system and thymus, providing a sequestered environment for immature T cells to develop. The barrier also prevents the immature T cells from contacting foreign antigens (since contact with antigens at this stage will cause the T cells to die by apoptosis).
The barrier is formed by the continuous blood capillaries in the thymic cortex, reinforced by type 1 epithelial reticular cells (sometimes called thymic epithelial cells) and macrophages.
The existence of this barrier was first proposed in 1961 and demonstrated to exist in mice in 1963.[1]
See also
- Blood–air barrier – Membrane separating alveolar air from blood in lung capillaries
- Blood–brain barrier – Semipermeable capillary border that allows selective passage of blood constituents into the brain
- Blood–ocular barrier – Physical barrier between the local blood vessels and most parts of the eye itself
- Blood–retinal barrier – Part of the blood–ocular barrier that prevents certain substances from entering the retina
- Blood–testis barrier – Physical barrier between the blood vessels and the seminiferous tubules of animal testes
References
- ^ Ribatti, Domenico (December 2015). "The discovery of the blood–thymus barrier". Immunology Letters. 168 (2): 325–328. doi:10.1016/j.imlet.2015.10.014. PMID 26522647.