Aging causes thymus involution, and genes in thymus play an important role in the development of the immune system. In this study, we compared genes expressed in thymus of neonatal and peripubertal rats using annealing control primers (ACPs)-based GeneFishing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and semiquantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. We identified 10 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with 20 ACPs. Of 10 DEGs, bystin-like, collagen type V alpha 1 (COL5A1), and T-cell receptor beta-chain segment 2 (TCRB2) that are related to immune-function were detected in rat thymus. Bystin-like and TCRB2 were up-regulated, while COL5A1 was down-regulated in peripubertal thymus. Semiquantitative RT-PCR confirmed postnatal changes in expression of bystin-like, COL5A1, and TCRB2. These results suggest that bystin-like, COL5A1, and TCRB2 could regulate immune function controlled in thymus as age increases.

ABSTRACT   INTRODUCTION   MATERIALS AND METHODS    Animals    First-strand cDNA Synthesis    ACP-based GeneFishing™PCR    Cloning ans Sequencing    Reverse Transriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction(RT-PCR) Confirmation   RESULTS    Differentially Expressed Genes in Rat Thymus   DISCUSSION   Thymus with Age   DEGs in Thymus   REFERENCES

• Dawon Kang(Medical Research Center for Neural Dysfunction and Department of Physiology, College of Medicine and Institute of Health Science)
• Gyu-Tae Kim(Medical Research Center for Neural Dysfunction and Department of Physiology, College of Medicine and Institute of Health Science)
• Jaehee Han(Medical Research Center for Neural Dysfunction and Department of Physiology, College of Medicine and Institute of Health Science) Corresponding author