ESTABLISHMENT OF CROSSTALK BETWEEN THE THYMUS AND BRAIN AT AN EARLY-STAGE OF FETAL LIFE IN THE RAT

Citation
K. Sakabe et al., ESTABLISHMENT OF CROSSTALK BETWEEN THE THYMUS AND BRAIN AT AN EARLY-STAGE OF FETAL LIFE IN THE RAT, Medical science research, 24(7), 1996, pp. 439-442
Citations number
13
Categorie Soggetti
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Journal title
ISSN journal
02698951
Volume
24
Issue
7
Year of publication
1996
Pages
439 - 442
Database
ISI
SICI code
0269-8951(1996)24:7<439:EOCBTT>2.0.ZU;2-6
Abstract
The present study was carried out to examine oestrogen receptors (ER), thymic factor (thymulin) and luteinising hormone releasing hormone (L HRH) in fetal rats, which would modulate the establishment/development of an 'hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-thymic' axis during pregnancy. A small amount of ER already appeared both in the thymus and hypothala mus at the 16th day, and the concentrations in both tissues gradually increased by the same amplitude until the 21st day. Thymulin in both t issues also appeared at a small level of concentration, which graduall y increased with time until delivery. Immunohistochemically, some thym ulin-positive neurons and LHRH-positive thymic epithelial cell appeare d in brain and thymus, respectively, and those cells were identical wi th ER-positive cells, These results may indicate that at the early sta ge of fetal life circulating E acts through its receptors on the thymu s and brain to secrete both thymulin and LHRH as local hormones that i nitiate the development/differentiation of both tissues.