200 Million Thymocytes and I: A Beginner's Survival Guide to T cell Development -- Development of gd T Cells, the Special Forces Soldiers of the Immune System -- Genetic Tools to Study T Cell Development -- Assessment of T cell Development by Flow Cytometry -- Flow Cytometry Analysis of Thymic Cells and their Subpopulations -- Identifying the Spatial Relationships of Thymic Stromal and Thymocyte Subsets by Immunofluorescence Analysis -- Purification of Thymocyte and T Cell Subsets -- Retroviral Transduction of T Cells and T Cell Precursors -- Bone Marrow and Fetal Liver Radiation Chimeras -- In vitro Analyses of T Cell Effector Differentiation -- Studying T Cell Development in Thymic Slices -- FTOC-based Analysis of Negative Selection -- Reconstituted Thymus Organ Culture -- Induction of T-cell Development in vitro by Delta-like (Dll)-Expressing Stromal Cells -- In vitro Analysis of Thymocyte Signaling -- Molecular Analysis of Mouse T Cell Receptor a and b Gene Rearrangements -- Intrathymic Injection -- Analysis of Cell Proliferation and |Homeostasis using EdU Labeling -- Characterization and Isolation of Human T Cell Progenitors -- Approaches to Study Human T Cell Development -- Humanized Mice to Study Human T Cell Development -- Using the Zebrafish Model to Study T cell Development.

This volume provides simple and accessible experiment protocols to explore thymus biology. T-Cell Development: Methods and Protocols is divided into three parts presenting short reviews on T cell development, analysis strategies, protocols for cell preparation, flow cytometry analyses, and multiple aspects of thymocyte biology. As a volume in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.  Concise and easy-to-use, T-Cell Development: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.