title: Ontogeny of alloreactivity in the chicken as measured by mixed lymphocyte reaction.
abstract: Ontogeny of alloreactivity in the chicken thymus and spleen was studied in mixed lymphocyte cultures. Mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) to total major histocompatibility complex (MHC) (B-complex in chicken) disparity was first detected in the thymus of 16-day-old embryo and regularly detectable from the 18th embryonal day on. Small strain-specific differences in the strength and appearance of the response were, however, observed. MLR to class I MHC (B-F) antigen disparity was not detectable before hatching. Exogenous interleukin-2-containing supernatant added to the cultures had only a minor effect on MLR of embryonal thymocytes. In the spleen, MLR was first detectable in some strain combinations on day 3 and regularly found on the 7th day posthatching, indicating colonization of peripheral lymphoid organs by thymus-derived mature T cells. Our results show the association of phenotypic and functional maturation of chicken T cells. The ontogeny of alloreactivity can now be compared to the appearance of T cell receptor (TCR), CD4, and CD8-bearing cells in the thymus and peripheral lymphoid organs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Turku University, Finland.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lehtonen
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vainio
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Toivanen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D007107:Immune System / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2