title: The pituitary dwarf mouse: a model for study of endocrine immunodeficiency disease.
abstract: Pituitary dwarf mutants of the Snell-Bagg and Ames mouse strains develop severe immunodeficiency of the thymus-dependent system which frequently leads to a fatal wasting syndrome. This immunodeficiency is a consequence of defective pituitary influences which will cause 1) an inadequate production of immunocompetent cells due to a central developmental defect primarily affecting the thymus and 2) the inability of immunocompetent cells to undergo a rapid and efficient antigen-induced proliferation and differentiation into antibody-forming cells. The relevance of the dwarf mouse model to a possible association between human immunodeficiency and endocrine disease is briefly discussed.
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000172:deficiency; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000941:Antigens; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004392:Dwarfism / Q000235:genetics; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D007104:Immune Adherence Reaction; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000209:etiology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009154:Mutation; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000002:abnormalities; D011388:Prolactin / Q000172:deficiency; D011828:Radiation Chimera; D012756:Sheep / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000002:abnormalities; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000172:deficiency
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D011388:Prolactin; D013972:Thyrotropin