Thymosin Alpha-1 10mg

Overview

Thymosin α1 (Tα1) is a 28-amino-acid, N-terminally acetylated peptide first isolated from calf thymus fraction 5 in 1977. It is derived from the N-terminal region of prothymosin α and is one of the most extensively characterized thymic peptides in immunology literature, where it is studied as a modulator of innate and adaptive immune-cell function.

Acu Aminos supplies Thymosin α1 as a 10 mg lyophilized powder for laboratory immunology research.

Chemistry & specifications

Tα1 is a highly acidic, unstructured peptide in aqueous solution, with a net negative charge from its numerous Asp and Glu residues. The N-terminal acetyl group is a post-translational feature of the native peptide and is retained in the synthetic material. Circular-dichroism studies show a transition to partial helical structure in membrane-mimetic environments.

Cellular structure & mechanism of action

In vitro and animal studies report that Tα1 acts through Toll-like receptors, particularly TLR2 and TLR9, on dendritic cells and other antigen-presenting cells, promoting MyD88-dependent signaling and the maturation of dendritic cells. Downstream effects described in the literature include increased expression of MHC class I molecules, modulation of cytokine profiles (IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-12), enhanced natural-killer-cell activity and changes in the balance of regulatory and effector T-cell responses. It has also been studied for effects on intracellular glutathione and oxidative stress in immune cells.

Research applications

• Dendritic-cell maturation and TLR-signaling assays
• T-cell differentiation and cytokine-profiling studies
• NK-cell cytotoxicity and innate-immunity models
• Thymic-peptide structure-function research

Selected references

1. Goldstein AL, Low TL, McAdoo M, et al. Thymosin α1: isolation and sequence analysis of an immunologically active thymic polypeptide. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1977;74(2):725–729.
2. Romani L, Bistoni F, Montagnoli C, et al. Thymosin α1: an endogenous regulator of inflammation, immunity, and tolerance. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007;1112:326–338.
3. Dominari A, Hathaway III D, Pandav K, et al. Thymosin alpha 1: a comprehensive review of the literature. World J Virol. 2020;9(5):67–78.

References are provided to help researchers locate primary literature. Acu Aminos makes no claims about the safety or efficacy of any compound in humans or animals.