Cloning And Characterization Of Novel Genes Possiblly Associated With Scenescence Of Murine Thymus

Adaptive specific immune response is dependent upon T cells. While T cells drive from precursors of bone marrow and then develop in the thymus for their maturation. Only 5% of T cells can be matured and go to peripheral lymphatic organs, which possess their functions of immune response after the positive and negative selection. But among all the organs in the body, only such important thymus shows vigorous degeneration during aging compared to the other organs and this phenomenon is not explained with assured mechanism. It is possible that such involution would be controlled by the heredity as the metabolism. And such process must be joined by many known or unknown genes. Seeking for the new genes related to the senescence and studying its relationship with the development of T cells will help to further understanding the closely connection between senescence and immune response.