Molecular mechanisms governing thymocyte migration: combined role of chemokines and extracellular

Abstract: Cell migration is crucial for thymocyte differentiation, and the cellular interactions in-volved now begin to be unraveled, with chemo-kines, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, and their corresponding receptors being relevant in such oriented movement of thymocytes. This no-tion derives from in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experimental data, including those obtained in ge-netically engineered and spontaneous mutant mice. Thymic microenvironmental cells produce both groups of molecules, whereas developing thymo-cytes express chemokine and ECM receptors. It is important that although chemokines and ECM pro-teins can drive thymocyte migration per se, a com-bined role of these molecules likely concurs for th