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Functional maturation of mouse thymic lymphocytes
Author(s) -
Mosier D.,
Cantor H.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
european journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1521-4141
pISSN - 0014-2980
DOI - 10.1002/eji.1830010610
Subject(s) - biology , spleen , lymph node , in vivo , lymphocyte , adoptive cell transfer , in vitro , immunology , mixed lymphocyte reaction , precursor cell , t lymphocyte , c57bl/6 , t cell , microbiology and biotechnology , antigen , biochemistry , immune system , genetics
Abstract The ability of CBA lymphoid cells to react to CB A × C57BL/6 cells was assessed in a one‐way mixed lymphocyte response. Reactive cells in CBA spleen were sensitive to anti‐Θ in vitro and anti‐lymphocyte serum in vivo . Although thymus cells were not reactive, the hydrocortisone‐resistant fraction contained substantial reactivity, similar to that found in the periphery. However, when either hydrocortisone‐resistant or normal thymocytes were adoptively transferred to irradiated syngeneic hosts, no mixed lymphocyte reaction activity appeared for the first 4–5 days in contrast to the immediate appearance of activity in the lymph node‐restored hosts. One interpretation of these findings is that the thymus contains two corticosteroid‐resistant subpopulations, one a non‐reactive precursor that matures in the periphery in transfer experiments, and one a reactive T cell which has already matured in the thymus.