Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1965 Sep 1;122(3):633–650. doi: 10.1084/jem.122.3.633

THE EFFECTS OF THYMUS AND OTHER LYMPHOID ORGANS ENCLOSED IN MILLIPORE DIFFUSION CHAMBERS ON NEONATALLY THYMECTOMIZED MICE

David Osoba 1
PMCID: PMC2138073  PMID: 5320432

Abstract

When neonatally thymectomized CBA mice were implanted at 9 to 12 days of age with Millipore diffusion chambers (pore size, 0.1 µ) containing either syngeneic or allogeneic neonatal thymus, they were subsequently found to have the capacity to reject skin homografts and to form antibodies to sheep erythrocytes. In spite of displaying restored immune reactivity, thymectomized mice bearing thymus-filled diffusion chambers still had a lymphopenia and diminished numbers of small lymphocytes in their spleens, lymph nodes and Peyer's patches. Comparison of the lymphoid organs of these mice with those of the thymectomized control mice did not reveal any appreciable difference in the numbers of primary follicles or small lymphocytes. It is postulated that the thymus humoral factor induced immunological competence in lymphoid cells which had left the thymus prior to neonatal thymectomy. The paucity of circulating and tissue small lymphocytes in thymectomized animals, the immune reactivity of which was restored by thymus tissue in diffusion chambers, argues against the theory that the thymus humoral factor has a lymphocytosis-stimulating effect. There was no restoration of immune reactivity in those neonatally thymectomized mice which had been implanted with diffusion chambers containing neonatal or adult spleens, or adult lymph nodes. Thus, the competence-inducing factor is elaborated by the thymus but not by the spleen or lymph nodes. Allogeneic (C57Bl) neonatal thymus tissue, enclosed within diffusion chambers, had the capacity to restore the immune reactivity of totally thymectomized CBA mice, not only to skin homografts of a totally unrelated strain (Ak), but also to grafts isogeneic with the donor of the allogeneic thymus. Therefore, there is no strain barrier to the action of thymus humoral factor. To explain the apparent lack of full participation of thymus lymphocytes in immune reactions it is postulated that thymus lymphocytes are functionally immature in situ, and that they leave the thymus before attaining immunological competence. In the periphery, they undergo further maturation under the influence of the competence-inducing factor produced by the thymus.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (2.3 MB).

Selected References

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

  1. BRIDGES R. A., CONDIE R. M., ZAK S. J., GOOD R. A. The morphologic basis of antibody formation development during the neonatal period. J Lab Clin Med. 1959 Mar;53(3):331–357. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. CAMBLIN J. G., BRIDGES J. B. EFFECTS OF CELL-FREE EXTRACTS OF THYMUS IN LEUCOPENIC RATS. Transplantation. 1964 Nov;2:785–787. doi: 10.1097/00007890-196411000-00011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. COMSA J. Influence of a highly purified thymus extract on the leucopoiesis in guinea pigs. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 1955 Aug;19(4):406–410. doi: 10.1530/acta.0.0190406. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DIXON F. J., WEIGLE W. O., ROBERTS J. C. Comparison of antibody responses associated with the transfer of rabbit lymph-node, peritoneal exudate, and thymus cells. J Immunol. 1957 Jan;78(1):56–62. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DUBOS R. J., HIRSCH J. G. The antimycobacterial activity of a peptide preparation derived from calf thymus. J Exp Med. 1954 Jan 1;99(1):55–63. doi: 10.1084/jem.99.1.55. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. DUNN T. B. Normal and pathologic anatomy of the reticular tissue in laboratory mice, with a classification and discussion of neoplasms. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1954 Jun;14(6):1281–1433. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. FRIEDMAN H. DISTRIBUTION OF ANTIBODY PLAQUE FORMING CELLS IN VARIOUS TISSUES OF SEVERAL STRAINS OF MICE INJECTED WITH SHEEP ERYTHROCYTES. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1964 Nov;117:526–530. doi: 10.3181/00379727-117-29628. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GOWANS J. L., McGREGOR D. D., COWEN D. M. Initiation of immune responses by small lymphocytes. Nature. 1962 Nov 17;196:651–655. doi: 10.1038/196651a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. GREGOIRE C., DUCHATEAU G. A study on lympho-epithelial symbiosis in thymus; reactions on the lymphatic tissue to extracts and to implants of epithelial components of thymus. Arch Biol (Liege) 1956;67(2):269–296. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. HIRSCHHORN K., BACH F., KOLODNY R. L., FIRSCHEIN I. L., HASHEM N. IMMUNE RESPONSE AND MITOSIS OF HUMAN PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES IN VITRO. Science. 1963 Nov 29;142(3596):1185–1187. doi: 10.1126/science.142.3596.1185. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LAW L. W., TRAININ N., LEVEY R. H., BARTH W. F. HUMORAL THYMIC FACTOR IN MICE: FURTHER EVIDENCE. Science. 1964 Mar 6;143(3610):1049–1051. doi: 10.1126/science.143.3610.1049. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. LEVEY R. H., TRAININ N., LAW L. W., BLACK P. H., ROWE W. P. LYMPHOCYTIC CHORIOMENINGITIS INFECTION IN NEONATALLY THYMECTOMIZED MICE BEARING DIFFUSION CHAMBERS CONTAINING THYMUS. Science. 1963 Oct 25;142(3591):483–485. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. LEVEY R. H., TRAININ N., LAW L. W. EVIDENCE FOR FUNCTION OF THYMIC TISSUE IN DIFFUSION CHAMBERS IMPLANTED IN NEONATALLY THYMECTOMIZED MICE. PRELIMINARY REPORT. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1963 Aug;31:199–217. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. LI C. P., PRESCOTT B., CHI L. L., MARTINO E. C. ANTIVIRAL AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF THYMUS EXTRACTS. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1963 Nov;114:504–509. doi: 10.3181/00379727-114-28715. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. MACLEAN L. D., ZAK S. J., VARCO R. L., GOOD R. A. The role of the thymus in antibody production; an experimental study of the immune response in thymectomized rabbits. Transplant Bull. 1957 Jan;4(1):21–22. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. MARSHALL A. H., WHITE R. G. The immunological reactivity of the thymus. Br J Exp Pathol. 1961 Aug;42:379–385. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. METCALF D. The thymic origin of the plasma lymphocytosis stimulating factor. Br J Cancer. 1956 Sep;10(3):442–457. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1956.51. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. MILLER J. F. Studies on mouse leukaemia. The role of the thymus in leukaemogenesis by cell-free leukaemic filtrates. Br J Cancer. 1960 Mar;14:93–98. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1960.11. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. McGregor D. D., Gowans J. L. THE ANTIBODY RESPONSE OF RATS DEPLETED OF LYMPHOCYTES BY CHRONIC DRAINAGE FROM THE THORACIC DUCT. J Exp Med. 1963 Jan 31;117(2):303–320. doi: 10.1084/jem.117.2.303. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. NOSSAL G. J. STUDIES ON THE RATE OF SEEDING OF LYMPHOCYTES FROM THE INTACT GUINEA PIG THYMUS. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1964 Nov 30;120:171–181. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1964.tb34715.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. OSOBA D., MILLER J. F. EVIDENCE FOR A HUMORAL THYMUS FACTOR RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MATURATION OF IMMUNOLOGICAL FACULTY. Nature. 1963 Aug 17;199:653–654. doi: 10.1038/199653a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. OSOBA D., MILLER J. F. THE LYMPHOD TISSUES AND IMMUNE RESPONSES OF NEONATALLY THYMECTOMIZED MICE BEARING THYMUS TISSUE IN MILLIPORE DIFFUSION CHAMBERS. J Exp Med. 1964 Jan 1;119:177–194. doi: 10.1084/jem.119.1.177. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Osoba D. Immune Reactivity in Mice Thymectomized Soon after Birth: Normal Response after Pregnancy. Science. 1965 Jan 15;147(3655):298–299. doi: 10.1126/science.147.3655.298. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. PARHON C. I., BABES A., PETREA I. The action exercised by the thymus and several neurotropic substances in experimental cancer. Acta Unio Int Contra Cancrum. 1957;13(3):404–408. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. SAINTE-MARIE G. ANTIGEN PENETRATION INTO THE THYMUS. J Immunol. 1963 Dec;91:840–845. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Szent-Györgyi A., Hegyeli A., McLaughlin J. A. CONSTITUENTS OF THE THYMUS GLAND AND THEIR RELATION TO GROWTH, FERTILITY, MUSCLE, AND CANCER. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1962 Aug;48(8):1439–1442. doi: 10.1073/pnas.48.8.1439. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. THORBECKE G. J., KEUNING F. J. Antibody formation in vitro by haemopoietic organs after subcutaneous and intravenous immunization. J Immunol. 1953 Feb;70(2):129–134. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. YUNIS E. J., HILGARD H., SJODIN K., MARTINEZ C., GOOD R. A. IMMUNOLOGICAL RECONSTITUTION OF THYMECTOMIZED MICE BY INJECTIONS OF ISOLATED THYMOCYTES. Nature. 1964 Feb 22;201:784–786. doi: 10.1038/201784a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES