Number of T cells exported from thymus each day

Range in 3.5-5.5 week old mice ~2X10^6 T cells/day: in 6 month old mice ~10^5 T cells/day T cells/day
Organism Mouse Mus musculus
Reference Tough DF, Sprent J. Life span of naive and memory T cells. Stem Cells. 1995 May13(3):242-9. p.243 left column 2nd paragraphPubMed ID7613491
Primary Source [8] Scollay RG, Butcher EC, Weissman IL. Thymus cell migration. Quantitative aspects of cellular traffic from the thymus to the periphery in mice. Eur J Immunol. 1980 Mar10(3):210-8. [9]Tough DF, Sprent J. Turnover of naive- and memory-phenotype T cells. J Exp Med. 1994 Apr 1 179(4):1127-35.PubMed ID7379836, 8145034
Comments "The rate of T cell input, i.e. emigration from the thymus, has been measured by injecting fluorescein intrathymically into mice under anesthesia and then monitoring the appearance of labelled cells in the periphery [primary source 8]. From this approach it has been estimated that around 2X10^6T cells emigrated per day from the thymus of 3.5 to 5.5-week old mice. [Researchers] have recently obtained comparable values using a non-surgical approach [primary source 9]. In older mice, the rate of thymic output is considerably lower, i.e. about 10^5cells per day in 6-month-old mice [primary source 8]."
Entered by Uri M
ID 110718