Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Immunology logoLink to Immunology
. 1979 Jun;37(2):397–405.

Adult and pre-adult thymectomy of mice: contrasting effects on immune responsiveness, and on numbers of mitogen-responsive and Thy-1+ lymphocytes.

M J Doenhoff, E Leuchars, R S Kerbel, V Wallis, A J Davies
PMCID: PMC1457501  PMID: 381181

Abstract

Peripheral lymphoid tissues of mice which have been thymectomized at 2 or 4 weeks of age, that is, before they achieve adult body weight, have been shown to be lacking in cells responsive to the T-cell mitogen, phytohaemagglutinin, when the animals became adult, and these mice have also been shown to have a deficient immune response against sheep erythrocytes. It is suggested these effects of pre-adult thymectomy are consequent upon removal of the prime source of T cells prior to the animal having acquired complete T-cell populations of the adult. Spleens and lymph nodes of mice thymectomized at 8 weeks of age were found to have reduced numbers of cells susceptible to the cytotoxic effects of anti-Thy-1 serum as early as 4 weeks after the operation, whereas the number of lymphocytes responsive to T-cell mitogens in these lymphoid tissues was not reduced at this time. The number of spleen-borne antibody-producing cells in a primary or secondary response was not affected by 8-week thymectomy, either when the response was tested in the operated animal, or after transfer of cells from such an animal to an irradiated recipient. The results are discussed with respect to other work on the effects of thymectomy of mice during the post-neonatal and pre-adult period.

Full text

PDF
397

Selected References

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

  1. Andersson L. C., Häyry P., Bach M. A., Bach J. F. Differences in the effects of adult thymectomy on T-cell mediated responses in vitro. Nature. 1974 Nov 15;252(5480):252–254. doi: 10.1038/252252b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Araneo B. A., Marrack P. C., Kappler J. W. Functional heterogeneity among the T-derived lymphocytes of the mouse. II. Sensitivity of subpopulations to anti-thymocyte serum. J Immunol. 1975 Feb;114(2 Pt 2):747–751. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cantor H., Boyse E. A. Functional subclasses of T lymphocytes bearing different Ly antigens. II. Cooperation between subclasses of Ly+ cells in the generation of killer activity. J Exp Med. 1975 Jun 1;141(6):1390–1399. doi: 10.1084/jem.141.6.1390. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cantor H., Boyse E. A. Functional subclasses of T-lymphocytes bearing different Ly antigens. I. The generation of functionally distinct T-cell subclasses is a differentiative process independent of antigen. J Exp Med. 1975 Jun 1;141(6):1376–1389. doi: 10.1084/jem.141.6.1376. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cunningham A. J., Szenberg A. Further improvements in the plaque technique for detecting single antibody-forming cells. Immunology. 1968 Apr;14(4):599–600. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Davies A. J., Leuchars E., Wallis V., Koller P. C. The mitotic response of thymus-derived cells to antigenic stimulus. Transplantation. 1966 Jul;4(4):438–451. doi: 10.1097/00007890-196607000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Doenhoff M. J., Janossy G., Greaves M. F., Gomer K. J., Snajdr J. Lymphocyte activation. VI. A re-evaluation of factors affecting the selectivity of polyclonal mitogens for mouse T and B cells. Clin Exp Immunol. 1974 Jul;17(3):475–490. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Doenhoff M. J., Janossy G., Kerbel R. S. Enumeration of polyclonal mitogen-responsive cells in different lymphoid tissues of the mouse. Immunology. 1976 Mar;30(3):367–378. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Doenhoff M. J., Leuchars E., Rees C. T. The mitotic activity of, and antibody production by, sensitized lymphocytes quantified after transfer into irradiated recipients. Immunology. 1976 Aug;31(2):205–216. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Doenhoff M. J. The effect of x-rays on circulating lymphocytes of mice quantitated by PHA-responsiveness. Clin Exp Immunol. 1971 Apr;8(4):603–615. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gorczynski R. M., Rittenberg M. B. Stimulation of early protein synthesis as an assay of immune reactivity: analysis of the cells responding to mitogens and alloantigens. J Immunol. 1974 Jan;112(1):47–55. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jacobs D. M., Byrd W. Adult thymectomy results in loss of T-dependent mitogen response in mouse spleen cells. Nature. 1975 May 8;255(5504):153–155. doi: 10.1038/255153a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kappler J. W., Hunter P. C., Jacobs D., Lord E. Functional heterogeneity among the T-derived lymphocytes of the mouse. I. Analysis by adult thymectomy. J Immunol. 1974 Jul;113(1):27–38. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kerbel R. S., Doenhoff M. J. Resistance of mitotic B lymphocytes to cytotoxic effects of anti-Ig serum. Nature. 1974 Jul 26;250(464):342–344. doi: 10.1038/250342a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kerbel R. S., Elliott E. V., Wallis V. J. Assessment of mitotic thymus-derived lymphocytes by their sensitivity to the cytotoxic effects of anti-theta serum. Cell Immunol. 1974 Mar 30;11(1-3):146–161. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(74)90015-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Metcalf D. Delayed effect of thymectomy in adult life on immunological competence. Nature. 1965 Dec 25;208(5017):1336–1336. doi: 10.1038/2081336a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Miller J. F. Effect of thymectomy in adult mice on immunological responsiveness. Nature. 1965 Dec 25;208(5017):1337–1338. doi: 10.1038/2081337a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Mosier D. E., Johnson B. M. Ontogeny of mouse lymphocyte function. II. Development of the ability to produce antibody is modulated by T lymphocytes. J Exp Med. 1975 Jan 1;141(1):216–226. doi: 10.1084/jem.141.1.216. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Murgita R. A., Tomasi T. B., Jr Suppression of the immune response by alpha-fetoprotein on the primary and secondary antibody response. J Exp Med. 1975 Feb 1;141(2):269–286. doi: 10.1084/jem.141.2.269. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Rabinowitz S. G. Measurement and comparison of the proliferative and antibody response of neonatal, immature and adult murine spleen cells to T-dependent and T-independent antigens. Cell Immunol. 1976 Feb;21(2):201–216. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(76)90049-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Raff M. C. Surface antigenic markers for distinguishing T and B lymphocytes in mice. Transplant Rev. 1971;6:52–80. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1971.tb00459.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Raff M. C., Wortis H. H. Thymus dependence of theta-bearing cells in the peripheral lymphoid tissues of mice. Immunology. 1970 Jun;18(6):931–942. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Simpson E., Cantor H. Regulation of the immune response by subclasses of T lymphocytes. II. The effect of adult thymectomy upon humoral and cellular responses in mice. Eur J Immunol. 1975 May;5(5):337–343. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830050509. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Spear P. G., Wang A. L., Rutishauser U., Edelman G. M. Characterization of splenic lymphoid cells in fetal and newborn mice. J Exp Med. 1973 Sep 1;138(3):557–573. doi: 10.1084/jem.138.3.557. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Stobo J. D., Paul W. E. Functional heterogeneity of murine lymphoid cells. II. Acquisition of mitogen responsiveness and of theta antigen during the ontogeny of thymocytes and "T" lymphocytes. Cell Immunol. 1972 Aug;4(4):367–380. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(72)90039-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Stobo J. D., Talal N., Paul W. E. Lymphocyte classes in New Zealand mice. I. Ontogeny and mitogen responsiveness of thymocytes and thymus-derived lymphocytes. J Immunol. 1972 Oct;109(4):692–700. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Taylor R. B. Decay of immunological responsiveness after thymectomy in adult life. Nature. 1965 Dec 25;208(5017):1334–1335. doi: 10.1038/2081334a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES