Effects of marrow grafting on preleukemia cells and thymic nurse cells in C57BL/Ka mice after a leukemogenic split-dose irradiation

Journal Article · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · J. Natl. Cancer Inst.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6914522

Defresne, M P; Greimers, R; Lenaerts, P; Boniver, J

A split-dose regimen of whole-body irradiation (4 X 175 rad at weekly intervals) induced thymic lymphomas in C57BL/Ka mice after a latent period of 3-9 months. Meanwhile, preleukemia cells arose in the thymus and bone marrow and persisted until the onset of lymphomas. Simultaneously, thymic lymphopoiesis was impaired; thymocyte numbers were subnormal and thymic nurse cells disappeared in a progressive but irreversible fashion. The depletion of these lymphoepithelial complexes, which are normally involved in the early steps of thymic lymphopoiesis, was related to altered prothymocyte activity in bone marrow and to damaged thymic microenvironment, perhaps as a consequence of the presence of preleukemia cells. The grafting of normal bone marrow cells after irradiation prevented the development of lymphomas. However, marrow reconstitution did not inhibit the induction of preleukemia cells. They disappeared from the thymus during the second part of the latent period. At the same time, thymic lymphopoiesis was restored; thymocytes and nurse cell numbers returned to normal as a consequence of the proliferation of grafted marrow-derived cells within the thymus. The results thus demonstrated an intimate relationship between preleukemia cells and an alteration of thymic lymphopoiesis, which particularly involved the nurse cell microenvironment. Some preleukemia cells in marrow-reconstituted, irradiated mice derived from the unirradiated marrow inoculate. Thus these cells acquired neoplastic potential through a factor present in the irradiated tissues. The nature of this indirect mechanism was briefly discussed.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Liege, Belgium
• OSTI ID: 6914522
• Journal Information: J. Natl. Cancer Inst.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Natl. Cancer Inst.; (United States) Vol. 5; ISSN JNCIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560152* -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Animals
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMAL TISSUES
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
BONE MARROW
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DISEASES
EXTERNAL IRRADIATION
FRACTIONATED IRRADIATION
GRAFTS
HEMATOPOIETIC SYSTEM
HEMIC DISEASES
IRRADIATION
LEUKEMIA
LEUKOCYTES
LYMPHOCYTES
LYMPHOMAS
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MICE
NEOPLASMS
ORGANS
POST-IRRADIATION THERAPY
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOINDUCTION
RODENTS
SOMATIC CELLS
THERAPY
TISSUES
TRANSPLANTS
VERTEBRATES
WHOLE-BODY IRRADIATION