BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2014, Vol. 40, No. 5, pp. 331-341

Fish thymic non-lymphoid cells and the problem of the blood-thymus barrier

© 2014 K. A. Vassiliev³, A. V. Polevshchikov^{1, 2, 3}

¹A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690041;
²Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690950;
³Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034

E-mail:

This review is devoted to a comparative histological analysis of non lymphoid thymic cell populations in fish and mammals. The structure and functions of these cells, as well as their role in the formation of the blood-thymus barrier are discussed. Data pointing to the involvement of the thymus in the immune response of fish are given.

Key words: thymus, cell populations, thymic cortex, thymic medulla, blood-thymus barrier, immune response.