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T cell receptor excision circles as a tool for evaluating thymic function in young children
Levy, A; Rangel-Santos, A; Torres, L C; Silveira-Abreu, G; Agena, F; Carneiro-Sampaio, M.
  • Levy, A; Universidade de São Paulo. Hospital das Clínicas. São Paulo. BR
  • Rangel-Santos, A; Universidade de São Paulo. Hospital das Clínicas. São Paulo. BR
  • Torres, L C; Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (IMIP). Laboratório de Pesquisa Translacional. Recife. BR
  • Silveira-Abreu, G; Universidade de São Paulo. Hospital das Clínicas. São Paulo. BR
  • Agena, F; Universidade de São Paulo. Hospital das Clínicas. São Paulo. BR
  • Carneiro-Sampaio, M; Universidade de São Paulo. Hospital das Clínicas. São Paulo. BR
Braz. j. med. biol. res ; 52(7): e8292, 2019. tab, graf
Article in English | LILACS | ID: biblio-1011589
ABSTRACT
The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ responsible for the maturation of T cells as well as the immunological central tolerance. It is in the antenatal period and infancy that it plays its major role. In clinical practice, T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) are considered a direct and reliable measure of the thymic function. TRECs are a by-product of DNA formation in gene rearrangement of T cell receptors. They are stable and they do not duplicate during mitosis, representing the recent emigrant T cells from the thymus. Despite their importance, TRECs have been neglected by physicians and there is a lack of data regarding thymic function during infancy of healthy children. In order to evaluate thymic function in the first years of life, we propose measuring TRECs as a valuable tool. One hundred and three blood samples from children and adolescents between 3 months and 20 years of age were analyzed. The mean TRECs count was 136.77±96.7 copies of TRECs/μL of DNA. The individuals between 0 and 5 years of age had significantly higher TRECs values than those between 10 and 20 years of age. No significant difference was observed in TRECs values among age groups below 5 years of age. An inverse correlation between TRECs and age was found (r=0.3 P=0.003). These data highlight and validate the evidence of decreased thymus function with age, even during infancy. Awareness should be raised with this important albeit ignored organ.
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Full text: Available Index: LILACS (Americas) Main subject: Thymus Gland / Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell Limits: Adolescent / Child / Child, preschool / Humans / Infant Language: English Journal: Braz. j. med. biol. res Journal subject: Biology / Medicine Year: 2019 Type: Article Affiliation country: Brazil Institution/Affiliation country: Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (IMIP)/BR / Universidade de São Paulo/BR

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Full text: Available Index: LILACS (Americas) Main subject: Thymus Gland / Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell Limits: Adolescent / Child / Child, preschool / Humans / Infant Language: English Journal: Braz. j. med. biol. res Journal subject: Biology / Medicine Year: 2019 Type: Article Affiliation country: Brazil Institution/Affiliation country: Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (IMIP)/BR / Universidade de São Paulo/BR