Nuclei of all cells present are dark blue, M cells are blue-green, and B cells (lymphocytes) are red or red/green. Credit: Lo lab, UC RiversideBiomedical scientists from UC Riverside state that the cells resemble M cells discovered in the gut and airways.It came as a surprise to Professor David Lo and his graduate student Diana Del Castillo when they were just recently spoken with by researchers in Israel for their knowledge on specialized cells called Microfold cells, or M cells, which are mainly understood for their presence in the intestinal epithelium. “I learned this group had been doing studies on the cellular architecture of stromal cells– cells that make up certain types of connective tissue– in the thymus and, using a new advanced approach, had discovered a population of cells much like the M cells we see in the gut and air passages.
Nuclei of all cells present are dark blue, M cells are blue-green, and B cells (lymphocytes) are red or red/green. Credit: Lo laboratory, UC RiversideBiomedical scientists from UC Riverside state that the cells resemble M cells found in the gut and airways.It came as a surprise to Professor David Lo and his graduate student Diana Del Castillo when they were just recently spoken with by researchers in Israel for their expertise on specialized cells called Microfold cells, or M cells, which are mainly understood for their presence in the intestinal epithelium. “I discovered this group had been doing research studies on the cellular architecture of stromal cells– cells that make up certain types of connective tissue– in the thymus and, using a brand-new innovative method, had actually discovered a population of cells much like the M cells we see in the gut and air passages. The Unique Nature of Thymic M Cells” These particular M cells are limited to a specific area in the thymus and have special associations with various cell types and functions,” Del Castillo said.” According to Lo, the thymic M cells could be seen as being trained to work later on, when needed, in the periphery in such a way that they are all set to interact and interact with other cells.