Abstract
Thymic fragments of young adult rats were cultivated in vitro using an explant technique. Two weeks later, non-lymphoid cells were characterized by enzyme-cytochemistry and immuno-cytochemistry. Based on cytomorphological criteria and cell-specific markers approximately 95% of cells were classified into 3 main types: epithelial cells, macrophages and fibroblasts. The effect of dexamethasone and amphotericin B, known modulators of cell growth in culture was also studied. Quantitative analysis showed that amphotericin B inhibited proliferation of macrophages and epithelial cells, while dexamethasone suppressed proliferation of fibroblasts and promoted growth of epithelial cells.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- TNLC:
-
Thymic Non-Lymphoid Cells
- NSE:
-
Non-Specific Esterase
References
Ben-Ze'evA (1984) Differential control of cytokeratins and vimentins synthesis by cell-cell contact and cell spreading in cultured epithelial cells. J. Cell Biol. 99: 1424–1433.
Ben-Ze'evA (1985) Cell density and cell shape-related regulation of vimentin and cytokeratin synthesis. Exp. Cell Res. 157: 520–532.
BoniverJ, DecleveA, DaileyMO, HonsikC, LiebermanM, KaplanHS (1981) Macrophage and lymphocyte-depleted thymus reticuloepithelial cell cultures: establishment and functional influence on T-lymphocyte maturation, C-type virus expression and lymphomatous transformation in vitro. Thymus 2: 193–213.
ConnellND, RheinwaldJG (1983) Regulation of the cytoskeleton in mesothelial cells: reversible loss of keratin and increase in vimentin during rapid growth in culture. Cell 34: 245–253.
ČolićM, JovanovićS, MitrovićS, DujićA. (1989) Immunohistochemical identification of six cytokeratin-defined subsets of the rat thymic epithelial cells. Thymus 13: 175–185.
DijkstraCD, DoppEA, JolingP, Kraal (1985) The heterogeneity of mononuclear phagocytes in lymphoid organs: distinct macrophages subpopulation in rat recognized by monoclonal antibodies ED1, ED2 and ED3. Immunology 54: 589–599.
GelfandEW, DoschHM, ShoreA, LimbatibulS, LeeJWW (1980) In: GelfandEW, DoschHM (eds) Biological basis of immunodeficiency (pp. 39–56). New York, Raven Press.
HarperCM, SharpGJ (1981) Evaluation of the morphological and functional characteristics of murine thymic nonlymphoid cells grown in vitro. J. Anat. 132: 607–625.
JordanRK, Crouse (1979) Studies on the thymic microenvironment: morphologic and functional characterization of thymic non-lymphoid cells grown in tissue culture. J. Ret. Soc. 26: 385–399.
KruisbeekAM, KroseTCJM, ZijlstraJJ (1977) Increase in T cell mitogen responsiveness in rat thymocytes by thymic epithelial culture supernatant. Eur. J. Immunol. 7: 375–381.
LazaridesE (1980) Intermediate filaments as mechanical integrators of cellular space. Nature 283:249–256.
LazaridesE (1982) Intermediate filaments: A chemically heterogeneous, developmentally regulated class of proteins. Ann. Rev. Biochem. 51: 219–250.
LobachDF, HaynesBF (1987) Ontogeny of the human thymus during fetal development. J. Clin. Immunol. 7: 81–97.
LoorF (1979) Mouse thymus reticulo-epithelial (RE) cells in vitro: isolation cultivation and preliminary characterization. Immunology 37: 157–177.
MasudaA, Nishimoto, MoritaT, MatsuyamaM (1985) Dexamethasone-induced changes in morphology and keratin organization of rat thymic epithelial cells in primary culture. Ex. Cell Res. 160: 343–355.
MullerJ, Brun Del ReG, BuerkiH, KellerHU, HessMW, CottierH (1975) Nonspecific acid esterase activity: a criterion for differentiation of T and B lymphocytes in mouse lymph nodes. Eur. J. Immunol. 5: 270–274.
OsbornM, WeberK (1983) Tumor diagnosis by intermediate filament typing: a novel tool for surgical pathology. Lab. Invest. 48: 372–394.
OsculatiF, BalerciaG, MatheG (1988) Human thymic epithelium in culture: an experimental model for the study of thymic microenvironment. Biomed. Pharmacother. 42: 395–407.
PapiernikM, nabarraB, BachJF (1975) In vitro culture of functional human epithelium. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 19: 281–287.
PelliettierM, TautuC, LandryD, MontplaisirS, ChartrandC (1986) Characterization of human thymic dendritic cells in culture. Immunology 58: 263–270.
PykeKW, GelfandEW (1974) Morphological and functional maturation of human thymic epithelium in culture. Nature 251: 421–423.
SavinoW, ItohT, ImhofBA DardenneM (1986) Immunohistochemical studies on the phenotype of murine and human thymic stromal cell lines. Thymus 8: 245–256.
SchmidE, SchillerDL, GrundC, StadlerJ, FrankeW. (1983) Tissue type-specific expression of intermediate filament proteins in a cultured epithelial cell line from bovine mammary gland. J. Cell Biol. 96: 37–50.
SmallM, Barr NeaL, AronsonM (1984) Culture of thymic epithelial cells from mice and age-related studies on the growing cells. Eur. J. Immunol. 14: 936–942.
SminiaT, VanAsseltAA, Van deEndeMB, DijkstraCD (1986) Rat thymus macrophages: an immunohistochemical study on fetal, neonatal and adult thymus. Thymus 8: 141–150.
SunTT, BonitzP, BurnsWH (1984) Cell culture of mammalian thymic epithelial cells: growth, structural and antigenic properties. Cell Immunol. 83: 1–13.
VirtanenI, LehtoVP, LehtonenE, VartioT, StenmanS, KurkiP, WagerO, SmallJV, DahlD, BadleyRA (1981) Expression of intermediate filaments in cultured cells. J. Cell. Sci. 50: 45–63
VonKnebel DoeberitzM, DrzonekH, KochS, BeckerC-M (1989) A simplified solid-phase assay for the quantitation of native membrane proteins. J. Immunol. Meth. 122: 259–264.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Čolić, M. Cultivation, characterization and modulation of rat thymic nonlymphoid cells in vitro . Cytotechnology 5, 107–115 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00365427
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00365427