Cloning And Characterization Of Novel Genes Possibly Associated With Senescence Of Murine Thymus

Adaptive specific immune response is dependent upon T cells. The thymus plays a crucial role in the development of T cells. It provides a microenvironment within which bone-marrow-derived progenitors can proliferate, mature and undergo stringent selection procedures. As individuals age, the major effect of ageing can be seen on the thymus. Not only thymus size, but also its architecture is varied. This dramatic loss of thymic structure and function is called thymus involution.To some extent, aging can be understood as a coordinated series of changes in gene action. There is now evidence that there is a genetic component facilitating the ageing process and the timing of senescence. We assumed that thymus involution would be controlled by the heredity.In order to find those genes, we made a research design as follows: Firstly, the differential display RT-PCR (DDRT-PCR) technique was applied to compare mRNA from the thymus of 1- and 10-month mice. Secondly, the different display cDNA fragments, also called EST (expressed sequence tag) were identified using Northern blot. Thirdly, four new gene containing integrated ORF were cloned via combination of SMART-RACE and EST assembly with typical EST screening cDNA library. Fourthly, to...