title: Functional differentiation of mouse T lymphocytes. GVHR-precursors: tissue origin and specificity of activity inducer.
abstract: For theoretical and practical reasons, it is important to find out whether the differentiation of T cell precursors to the functional lymphocytes can be induced under in vitro conditions. Using the local GVHR assay (based on the enlargement of the popliteal lymph node), the inducibility of the precursors of reactive cells was studied with bone marrow, thymus, spleen, and lymph node cell suspensions submitted to short-term incubation with cell-free extracts from calf thymus, spleen or brain. GVHR-precursors from bone marrow were inducible not only specifically (i.e., with thymus extract) but also--and even to a higher degree--with spleen or brain extract. Thymus and spleen cell suspensions (the latter also depleted of the reactive subpopulation by treatment with anti-Thy 1.2 serum and complement) were, on the other hand, inducible mainly specifically, whereas lymph node cells were refractory to induction. The inductive action of tissue extracts obviously depends on the tissue origin of T cell precursors; their effects on pre- and postthymic differentiation of T lymphocytes are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000494:pharmacology; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006087:Graft vs Host Reaction; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D014020:Tissue Extracts