Abstract
The thymus gland has been known for some time to be the central organ of differentiation of T lymphocytes1,2. Stem cells migrate into the thymus from the bone marrow, differentiate and, as competent T lymphocytes, disperse from the thymus to the periphery, where contact with specific antigen induces immune reactivity2. The traffic of T lymphocytes between the thymus and periphery has been thought to be unidirectional and, unless the cells are leukaemic3 or the thymus gland has been irradiated4, re-entry of peripheral T lymphocytes has not been detected3. We now report that cells from lines of functionally active T lymphocytes reactive to self or foreign antigens can migrate back into the normal thymus gland and persist there for relatively long periods in a quiescent state until activated by contact with antigen. Hence, in addition to being the seat of T lymphocyte differentiation, the thymus is open to two-way traffic with the periphery and may function as a repository of immunological memory.
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Naparstek, Y., Holoshitz, J., Eisenstein, S. et al. Effector T lymphocyte line cells migrate to the thymus and persist there. Nature 300, 262–264 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/300262a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/300262a0
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