Chicken thymic nurse cells: an overview.

Thymic nurse cells are multicellular complexes located in the subcortical area of the thymus of all avian, mammalian and amphibian species investigated so far. Since their first description in 1980 many studies have been carried out to characterize their morphological and functional properties. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent morphological as well a functional analyses of chicken thymic nurse cells which suggest a role of these cell complexes in T cell selection.