ASSALAMUALAIKUM

Thymus
The thymus is the site of T cell differentiation and
maturation.

The thymus gland is an organ in the upper chest cavity that

processes lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that
fights infections in the body. This organ is part of both the
lymphatic system, which makes up a major part of the
immune system, and the endocrine system, which
includes all glands that produce hormones. The thymus is
most important in children and young adults, when it
programs lymphocytes to attack antigens, like viruses.
People who do not have this gland, or in whom it does not
function correctly, usually have compromised immune
systems and difficulty fighting disease.
Location
 Behind sternum - over heart
 Bi-lobed
 Lobules - 2 zones
 Outer zone = cortex
 Inner zone = medulla
Cortex
 Immature “pro-T” cells arrive here
 Learn function of T lymphocytes
 Densely cellular
 90% of cells die - lymphocyte graveyard !
 Surviving cells migrate to medulla
Medulla -
 mature lymphocytes migrate from cortex - cells
then enter into blood circulation
 Hassal’s corpuscles - characteristic structure of
medulla, function unknown

 Thymus atrophies after puberty - BUT continues

to produce lymphocytes to end …..
(1) Development and differentiation of T
lymphocytes in thymus
 TSC interact with thymocytes directly by
adhesion molecules.
 TSC secrete various cytokines and thymus
hormones.
 Thymocytes secrete various cytokines.
(2)Immune regulation of the thymus
(3)Barrier function of the thymus
 The thymus produces and processes a  The thymus gland has a reputation for
white blood cell called a T-lymphocyte. becoming underactive which may
These T cells help cells recognize and lead to the development of
immunodeficiency diseases.
destroy invading bacteria, viruses,
 Thymosin also plays a role in the
abnormal cell growth, and foreign initiation of the aging process.
tissue.
 The T cells travel from the bone marrow
to the thymus gland where they remain
until they are activated. After they
mature, the T cells enter the blood
stream and travel to other lymphatic
organs to act as a defense mechanism
against diseases.
 The thymus gland produces thymosin, a
hormone that stimulates T cells in other
lymphatic organs to mature. It also
produces thymopoietin, another
hormone which is protein present in
the mRNA and is encoded by the TMPO
gene.
 This gland is responsible for development
of the lymphatic system, which plays a
major role in the immune and waste removal
systems.
 If the thymus’s development is hindered in
any way in the fetus, the whole of the
immune system cannot develop.
 The thymus also contributes to the immune
system by producing and processing T
Lymphocytes (see functions for T Cells’
duty)
(1)Thymus stroma cells (TSC)
Thymus epithelial cells(TEC),
Fibrocyte,Macrophages, Dendritic
cells
(2)Thymocytes
The cells migrate from the bone
marrow to the thymus and then
become thymocytes
(3)Thymus microenviroment
 TSC
TEC: Secret thymus hormones and cytokines.
Interaction between cells by direct
contact.
 Extracellular matrix
 Active substance in local sites
•Pinkish-gray color in children and yellow
in adults
•Soft
•About 5 cm long at birth
•Continuously grows during childhood
•Begins to steadily atrophy after puberty
until it is ultimately replaced by adipose
tissue
•Largest and most active in children
•Weighs between 20 and 37 grams, its
maximum weight, by puberty
•Made up of two identical lateral lobes
•Each lobe is composed of lobules that
are held together by delicate areolar
tissue, and the thymus as a whole is
enclosed in a protective capsule
•The two lobes are slightly different in size
and can be joined together or separated
•Located in the thoracic cavity, just below
the neck and behind the sternum
•Divided into two parts, the outer cortex
and inner medulla.
 Made up of mucosa-
associated lymphoid tissue
 Lymphoid tissue mostly
consists of lymphocytes, but
it is also rich in macrophages
and reticular cells
 The thymus is enclosed by a
thin connective tissue
capsule
 Each lobule consists of
medullary tissue with
numerous lateral extensions,
each of which is covered by a
layer of cortical tissue
 Between lobules are
connective tissue septa,
extensions of the capsule
containing arterioles and
veins.
 With age, there is a heavy
accumulation of fat
associated with the
connective tissue
 Thymus Cancer
 Thymus cancer develops when malignant cancer
cells form on the outer surface of the thymus gland.
There are primarily two kinds of cancer that can
arise in the thymus.
 The first type involves a thymoma, a tumor whose
cancerous cells look like normal thymus tissue.
• Thymomas are linked to autoimmune diseases
which cause the immune system to attack healthy
tissue.
 The second sort of thymus cancer includes thymic
carcinomas, tumors which contain cells that do not
look like thymus cells.
• Thymic carcinomas are exceptionally dangerous
because they grow more quickly and will more
probably extend to other tissues.
 Both thymomas and thymic carcinomas can be
present in an individual without triggering any
symptoms and may only be found in a routine chest
x-ray. But when symptoms do occur, it is most
commonly in the form of a continuing cough, chest
pain, and trouble breathing.
 DiGeorge Syndrome (Thymic Dysplasia)
 DiGeorge syndrome is a rare congenital defect that
causes dysfunction of a number of different tissues.
 Patients with DiGeorge syndrome have a small deletion
on their 22nd chromosome, known as 22q11.2, which
contains between 20 and 30 genes responsible for the
development of different parts of the body.
 Often, in DiGeorge syndrome, a symptom is having a
very small or absent thymus gland.
 As a result of having DiGeorge syndrome, patients will
have very weak immune systems and are extremely
prone to infections.
 Patients may need to receive a thymus transplant or
receive infusions of immune cells to help prevent
dangerous infections.
 Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized
by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal muscles
 Myasthenia gravis is caused by a transmission malfunction of nerve impulses to
the muscles.
 In myasthenia gravis, antibodies produced by the body’s own immune system
obstruct, change, or destroy the receptors for acetylcholine at the neuromuscular
junction, which inhibits the muscle from contracting.
 In adults with myasthenia gravis, the thymus gland remains large and is
abnormal. It contains certain clusters of immune cells indicative of lymphoid
hyperplasia—a condition usually found only in the spleen and lymph nodes
during an active immune response. Some may develop thymomas which are
generally benign, but can become malignant.
 The relationship between the thymus gland and myasthenia gravis is not yet fully
understood. Scientists believe the thymus gland may give incorrect instructions
to developing immune cells, ultimately resulting in autoimmunity and the
production of the acetylcholine receptor antibodies, thereby setting the stage for
the attack on neuromuscular transmission.
 Thymectomy, the surgical removal of the thymus gland, reduces symptoms in
some individuals without thymoma and may cure some people, possibly by re-
balancing the immune system.
 Most common in women under 40 and men over 60.
TERIMAKASIH