Thymus-grafted SCID mice show transient thymopoiesis and limited depletion of V beta 11+ T cells.
To seek direct evidence for the notion that stem cells in the thymus need to be constantly replenished from the bone marrow (BM), fetal (day 15) thymuses from normal BALB/c mice were grafted into T and B cell-deficient C.B-17 SCID mice (both H-2d, I-E+). The thymus grafts in these mice showed normal thymopoiesis for the first 3 wk postgrafting but then developed sudden atrophy with near complete loss of CD4+8+ cells by 4-5 wk. Such atrophy was not seen when the thymus-grafted mice were cotransplanted with normal BM cells. The lymph nodes of SCID mice receiving thymus grafts alone contained mature T cells but virtually no B cells. This lack of B cells was associated with aberrant I-E-restricted V beta deletion: the depletion of V beta 3+ and V beta 5+ T cells was near complete, whereas V beta 11+ cells showed only marginal depletion.
Frey
J R
JR
Department of Immunology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037.
Ernst
B
B
Surh
C D
CD
Sprent
J
J
D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D002470:Cell Survival; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID / Q000276:immunology*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000737:chemistry / Q000637:transplantation*; D013997:Time Factors
D015703:Antigens, CD; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens