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Role of the Thymus in Generation of Lymphocyte Functions
Author(s) -
JUHLIN R.,
TUFVESON G.,
ALM G. V.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1978.tb00431.x
Subject(s) - lymphocyte , immunology , biology , lymphocyte activation , microbiology and biotechnology , immune system , t cell
Thymuses of 14‐day‐old mouse embryos could be maintained in organ culture, using serum‐free medium, with generation of lymphocytes that showed strong proliferate reactivity to allogeneic spleen cells in mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC). Such organ culture derived thymocytes also developed cytotoxic activity against target cells tarrying the alloantigens of the stimulating spleen cells in the MLC. The generated cytotoxic activity was, however, proportionately lower than that seen with thymocytes of young mice. A time course study showed that cells with apparent reactivity to both allogeneic spleen cells and to the mitogen Concanavalin A (Con A) first appeared in the thymus organ cultures on day 8–9.