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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2026 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Immunol Rev. 2025 Jul;332(1):e70050. doi: 10.1111/imr.70050

Figure 2: Balance of cell death detection coordinates endogenous thymic regeneration.

Figure 2:

Our work has shown that detection of modalities of cell death co-ordinate aspects of thymic regeneration. Specifically, at baseline where there is considerable apoptotic cell death during thymocyte selection (β-selection, positive selection, and negative selection), leads to the suppression of regenerative cues mediated by the detection of these apoptotic cells. However, after acute damage there is a switch toward caspase-1-mediated immunogenic cell death (ICD) that leads to the release of pro-regenerative DAMPs such as ATP and zinc. However, the activation of caspase-1 also leads to the release of pro-inflammatory IL-18 that can stimulate NK cell cytotoxicity and the depletion of thymocyte-supporting thymic epithelial cells (TECs).