Functionally competent immune system includes a functionally competent T-cell repertoire
that is reactive to foreign antigens but is tolerant to self-antigens. The repertoire of T cells is
primarily formed in the thymus through positive and negative selection of developing
thymocytes. Immature thymocytes that undergo V (D) J recombination of T-cell antigen
receptor (TCR) genes and that express the virgin repertoire of TCRs are generated in thymic
cortex. The recent discovery of thymoproteasomes, a molecular complex specifically …