1st ed. 2019 Edition
by Geraldo A. Passos (Editor)
This volume focuses on challenging
field in biomedicine that is the genetic control of central immune
tolerance. It covers the thymus development, their cellular components
and their respective function, the peculiar gene expression profiling
(transcriptome) found in the medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs)
that are implicated in the self-representation in the thymus, the
Autoimmune regulator (Aire) gene, the mutations in this gene and
manifestation of autoimmune diseases, and the role of cell-cell
interactions within the thymus with implications in the negative
selection (elimination) of nascent autoreactive T cells in preventing
aggressive autoimmunity.
The thymus gland is a lymphoid
organ implicated in the maturation, differentiation and selection of T
cells. This organ is gained more and more attention in different
biomedical research labs worldwide due to its function that is
associated with the control of immune homeostasis in the body,
establishing the central immune tolerance and preventing the onset of
autoimmune diseases.
