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A Khan question implied that T lymphocytes "differentiate" in the thymus but not in the lymph nodes; lymph nodes only function in "trafficking immune cells."
I thought T lymphocytes undergo "maturation" (i.e. education in self-tolerance and immunocompetence) within the thymus; I also thought maturation and differentiation are wholly different processes for lymphocytes, the latter involving production of memory and activated T cells that can then attack the infected cells. Does this mean thymus gland does BOTH: maturation and differentiation of T cells? But then T cell differentiation happens in blood, no?
I thought T lymphocytes undergo "maturation" (i.e. education in self-tolerance and immunocompetence) within the thymus; I also thought maturation and differentiation are wholly different processes for lymphocytes, the latter involving production of memory and activated T cells that can then attack the infected cells. Does this mean thymus gland does BOTH: maturation and differentiation of T cells? But then T cell differentiation happens in blood, no?
