Functional characterization of prethymic T cells committed to alloreactivity
The results of previous experiments on MHC fully allogenic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in nonthymectomizd recipients indicated that anti-MHC alloreactivity starts to become irreversibly committed at the prethymic level. This is a matter of some controversy. Since it is possible that conflicting results depend on the methods chosen, we reexamined our previous results by applying two new approaches. Adult thymectomized (ATX) Balb/c mice received a syngeneic fetal thymus either 3 weeks before or 3 weeks after lethal irradiation and reconstitution with C57BL/6 BM incubated in antiserum. Since monoclonal antibodies such as anti-Thy 1 are of limited value for investigations of the above type (Thy 1 antigen crosses the prethymic/thymic border), we used two highly selective, excessively cytotoxic xenoantisera for incubation of the donor BM--either a specific anti-T cell serum (SAT) that eliminated only mature T cells, or a specific antilymphocyte serum (SAL) that reacted additionally with a subset of prethymic T cells (PTC). In both experimental approaches the results were similar: Recipients of SAT-BM developed antihost reactivity, in contrast to recipients of SAL-BM. SAT-BM recipients became immunodeficient, whereas SAL-BM chimeras were immunocompetent. Late mortality was observed only following SAT treatment. Preliminary morphological findings in the lymphoid tissue of BM recipients agree fully with the functional observations. We conclude that the data confirm our previous results in nonthymectomized BM recipients--i.e., PTCs initiate antihost reactivity in MHC fully allogeneic BMT--and PTC commitment is thymus/thymus factor independent. These conclusions are discussed with regard to the problems of MHC allogeneic clinical BMT.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Kiel, Germany, F.R.
- OSTI ID:
- 5268926
- Journal Information:
- Transplantation; (United States), Vol. 6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Analyses of acute graft-versus-host-like reaction in (MRL/lpr----MRL/+) chimeric mice using MRL/lpr-Thy-1. 1 congenic mice
Effects of T cell depletion in radiation bone marrow chimeras. I. Evidence for a donor cell population which increases allogeneic chimerism but which lacks the potential to produce GVHD
Related Subjects
BONE MARROW
TRANSPLANTS
GRAFT-HOST REACTION
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
THYMUS
LETHAL IRRADIATION
LYMPHOCYTES
MICE
PHENOTYPE
STEM CELLS
THYMECTOMY
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMAL TISSUES
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
HEMATOPOIETIC SYSTEM
IRRADIATION
LEUKOCYTES
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MEDICINE
ORGANS
RODENTS
SOMATIC CELLS
SURGERY
TISSUES
VERTEBRATES
560152* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Animals