1. Epithelial development based on a branching morphogenesis program: the special condition of thymic epithelium
- Author
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Juan J. Muñoz, Agustín G. Zapata, Heinbockel, Thomas, and Shields, Vonnie D.C.
- Subjects
Thymic epithelium ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Lymphatic system ,Molecular signaling ,Salivary gland ,Biología celular ,Branching morphogenesis ,medicine ,Biology ,Pancreas ,Process (anatomy) ,Epithelium ,Cell biology - Abstract
Numerous epithelia undergo tubulogenesis and branching morphogenesis during their development (i.e., lung, salivary gland, pancreas) in order to establish sufficient available surface for their proper functioning. The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ constituted by pharyngeal-derived epithelium necessary to produce immunocompetent lymphocytes whose mechanisms of development are not fully known. In the current chapter, we review histological, cellular, and molecular mechanisms governing early thymic epithelium development emphasizing its resemblance with the process of branching morphogenesis and tubulogenesis occurring in other epithelial organs in which epithelial-mesenchyme interactions determine the tissue patterning through specific combinations of common molecular signaling pathways.
- Published
- 2019