Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Immunology logoLink to Immunology
. 1997 Feb;90(2):165–168. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2567.1997.00190.x

Environmental regulation of T-cell function in mice: group housing of males affects accessory cell function.

I S Grewal 1, M Heilig 1, A Miller 1, E E Sercarz 1
PMCID: PMC1456736  PMID: 9135542

Abstract

The number of mice housed in a cage was found to exert a major impact on immune function in male mice. Lymph node cells from hen lysozyme (HEL)-primed C57BL/6 male mice, housed in groups of 6/cage or individually, were tested for T-cell proliferative response. Group-housed males showed markedly lower responses than age-matched females. However, in males housed singly for 4-15 weeks, responses were considerably higher, approaching those of female controls. To examine the cellular site of action of the housing effect, the efficiency of splenic antigen-presenting cells (APC) was examined. APC from grouped males were considerably less efficient than APC from females, whereas males housed singly had increased APC function, reaching female levels. Our results demonstrate that environmental manipulation can profoundly modulate cellular immunity, and provide a first mechanistic indication that APC function is a major target for this modulation.

Full text

PDF
165

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ansar Ahmed S., Dauphinée M. J., Montoya A. I., Talal N. Estrogen induces normal murine CD5+ B cells to produce autoantibodies. J Immunol. 1989 Apr 15;142(8):2647–2653. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ansar Ahmed S., Penhale W. J., Talal N. Sex hormones, immune responses, and autoimmune diseases. Mechanisms of sex hormone action. Am J Pathol. 1985 Dec;121(3):531–551. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Laudenslager M. L., Ryan S. M., Drugan R. C., Hyson R. L., Maier S. F. Coping and immunosuppression: inescapable but not escapable shock suppresses lymphocyte proliferation. Science. 1983 Aug 5;221(4610):568–570. doi: 10.1126/science.6603018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Monjan A. A., Collector M. I. Stress-induced modulation of the immune response. Science. 1977 Apr 15;196(4287):307–308. doi: 10.1126/science.557841. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Plaut S. M., Ader R., Friedman S. B., Ritterson A. L. Social factors and resistance to malaria in the mouse: effects of group Vs individual housing on resistance to Plasmodium berghei infection. Psychosom Med. 1969 Nov-Dec;31(6):536–552. doi: 10.1097/00006842-196911000-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Rabin B. S., Lyte M., Epstein L. H., Caggiula A. R. Alteration of immune competency by number of mice housed per cage. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1987;496:492–500. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1987.tb35806.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Rabin B. S., Lyte M., Hamill E. The influence of mouse strain and housing on the immune response. J Neuroimmunol. 1987 Dec;17(1):11–16. doi: 10.1016/0165-5728(87)90027-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Rabin B. S., Salvin S. B. Effect of differential housing and time on immune reactivity to sheep erythrocytes and Candida. Brain Behav Immun. 1987 Sep;1(3):267–275. doi: 10.1016/0889-1591(87)90028-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Salvin S. B., Rabin B. S., Neta R. Evaluation of immunologic assays to determine the effects of differential housing on immune reactivity. Brain Behav Immun. 1990 Sep;4(3):180–188. doi: 10.1016/0889-1591(90)90021-h. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Wahlestedt C., Pich E. M., Koob G. F., Yee F., Heilig M. Modulation of anxiety and neuropeptide Y-Y1 receptors by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides. Science. 1993 Jan 22;259(5094):528–531. doi: 10.1126/science.8380941. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Zwilling B. S., Brown D., Christner R., Faris M., Hilburger M., McPeek M., Van Epps C., Hartlaub B. A. Differential effect of restraint stress on MHC class II expression by murine peritoneal macrophages. Brain Behav Immun. 1990 Dec;4(4):330–338. doi: 10.1016/0889-1591(90)90036-p. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Zwilling B. S., Dinkins M., Christner R., Faris M., Griffin A., Hilburger M., McPeek M., Pearl D. Restraint stress-induced suppression of major histocompatibility complex class II expression by murine peritoneal macrophages. J Neuroimmunol. 1990 Sep-Oct;29(1-3):125–130. doi: 10.1016/0165-5728(90)90154-f. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES