HE cTEC mus musculus. Mus musculus strain:C57BL/6 | isolate:cTEC | breed:HE

The production of functional T cells and the establishment of central immune tolerance are mainly coordinated by thymic epithelial cells (TEC). Although great progress has been made in understanding the molecular regulation of TEC development over the years, the role of proprotein convertase (PC) in TEC differentiation remains unclear. We found that compared with other members of this family, Furin is a member of the subtilisin/kexin-like PCs family and is highly expressed in medullary TECs (mTECs) and cortical TECs (cTECs). Furin's homozygous or heterozygous TEC-specific deletion causes severe thymic atrophy and significantly reduces the number of TEC cells (including mTEC, cTEC, and thymic cluster cells) in a dose-dependent manner. Functionally, the lack of furin in TECs can impair the development of thymocytes and destroy the central immune tolerance, leading to autoimmune diseases in these mice.