Nasopharyngeal tonsils (adenoids) contain extrathymic corticothymocytes

Adenoidal tissue (also known as nasopharyngeal tonsils) of 58% of humans in the pediatric age group contains immature T-lymphoid cells with the phenotype of thymocytes (TdT+, CD1abc+, cytoplasmic CD3+, coexpressing CD4 and CD8, lacking an Intraepithelial Lymphocyte-associated phenotype). The notable...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2014-05, Vol.9 (5), p.e98222-e98222
Main Authors: Buscone, Serena, Garavello, Werner, Pagni, Fabio, Gaini, Renato Maria, Cattoretti, Giorgio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenoids - cytology
Adenoids - immunology
Adenosine
Antigens
Antigens, Differentiation - immunology
B cells
Biology and Life Sciences
Bone marrow
CD3 antigen
CD4 antigen
CD8 antigen
Cell culture
Clustering
DNA nucleotidylexotransferase
DNA polymerases
Epithelium
Female
Gene Expression Regulation - physiology
Humans
Immunoglobulins
Immunology
Laboratories
Lymph nodes
Lymphatic system
Lymphocytes
Lymphocytes B
Lymphocytes T
Lymphoid cells
Lymphoid tissue
Male
Medicine
Medicine and Health Sciences
Otolaryngology
Palatine Tonsil - cytology
Palatine Tonsil - immunology
Pathology
Pax5 protein
Pediatrics
Pharynx
Phenotypes
Precursors
Surgery
T cell receptors
T cells
Thymocytes
Thymocytes - cytology
Thymocytes - immunology
Thymus
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Description
Summary:Adenoidal tissue (also known as nasopharyngeal tonsils) of 58% of humans in the pediatric age group contains immature T-lymphoid cells with the phenotype of thymocytes (TdT+, CD1abc+, cytoplasmic CD3+, coexpressing CD4 and CD8, lacking an Intraepithelial Lymphocyte-associated phenotype). The notable difference in comparison to palatine tonsils is the clustering in groups and sheets, comprising hundreds or thousands of cells (1.7%±0.2 of total T cells). The thymic epithelium is morphologically and phenotypically absent. Adenoids share with tonsils and lymph nodes the presence of immature B cell precursors (TdT+, CD1a-, Pax5+, Surrogate light chain±), however in these latter the presence of TdT+, CD1a+, Pax5- precursors is absent or limited to individual cells. Human adenoids are distinct among the Waldeyer's ring lymphoid tissue because of the known embryogenic derivation from the third pharyngeal pouch, from which the thymus develops; in addition, they may display phenotypic incomplete features of a vestigial thymus.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0098222