Germinal Center Formation and Integrins Expression in the Rat Thymus After 5-Fluorouracil Treatment / 대한해부학회지

ABSTRACT

Thymus is a lymphoid organ forming T-cells from hematogenous stem cells. There is no report on the germinal centers in the thymus except the Myasthenia gravis in human. In this study, new germinal centers were experimentally induced from 6 days after 5-FU treatment in the Sprague-Dawley rats. With germinal center formation, proteins of molecular weight 123 kDa on 6 days after 5-FU treatment, and 162 kDa and 205 kDa on 9 days after 5-FU treatment were increased in 5-FU treated group. These proteins revealed alpha 1 -and beta 1 -integrins on integrin Western Blot. In this experiment, it was cosidered that alpha 1-integrins and beta 1 -integrins were the key proteins for proliferation of B cells within the newly formed thymic germinal centers and the massive apoptotic disposal of B-cells from the germinal centers, and the new formation of T cells within the cortex.