Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42061246›Full record

ArticlePoultry science2026

Single-cell landscape of goose thymus uncovers developmental and regulatory dynamics of T cell differentiation.

Cui Wang, Zuoyin Zhu, Yi Liu, Yongping Yang, Shufang Chen, Daqian He

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Poultry science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Cui WangInstitute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, China.
Zuoyin ZhuDepartment of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
Yi LiuInstitute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, China.
Yongping YangWuhan Animal Disease Control Center, Wuhan 430012, China.
Shufang ChenNingBo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ningbo 315040, China.
Daqian HeInstitute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201106, China. Electronic address: shwaterfowl@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The thymus is vital for T cell development, yet avian thymocyte maturation remains poorly characterized. Here, we present a single-cell transcriptomic atlas of thymic development in Zhedong White geese across embryonic, gosling, juvenile, and adult stages. Morphological and histological analysis revealed a multilobulated, paired thymus with rapid post-hatch expansion and age-dependent involution. Single-cell RNA sequencing identified all major thymic cell types, with T cells predominant and γδ T cells unusually abundant compared to mammals. High-resolution profiling defined key T cell subsets and reconstructed sequential differentiation, showing DN cells transition from pre-commitment states marked by BCL11A, SPI1, and HHEX to committed states (BCL11B, TCF7) and β-selection gene activation. Thymic epithelial cells functioned as central signaling hubs, mediating microenvironmental regulation. Comparative analysis with human and mouse thymus revealed a conserved developmental framework, yet pronounced species-specific differences at the DP stage and in γδ T cell enrichment. These findings contribute foundational insights for avian immunology and poultry breeding.

Indexed as

Cell DifferentiationGeeseThymus GlandT-LymphocytesTranscriptomeAnimalsSingle-Cell AnalysisSingle-Cell Gene Expression AnalysisCross-species comparisonGoose thymocyte developmentSingle-cell transcriptomicsT cell commitment

Identifiers

PMID42061246
PMCPMC13141725

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.