title: Altered production and renewal of natural killer cells in B-lymphocyte-deficient CBA/N mice.
abstract: The present study was designed to measure by quantitative and kinetic methods the production and renewal of natural killer (NK) cells in congenitally B-lymphocyte-deficient (CBA/N) mice. The total NK activity (percent specific lysis corrected for changes in whole organ cellularity) of the bone marrow and spleen of immunologically normal (CBA/CaJ) and CBA/N mice was assayed prior to and immediately after 48 h treatment (2 X/day, i.p.) with the cell cycle poison hydroxyurea (HU) and at various intervals throughout the subsequent post-HU recovery period. The total NK activity (TNKA) of untreated CBA/N bone marrow was 154% of that of CBA/CaJ bone marrow while the TNKA of CBA/N spleen was not significantly different (112%) from that of CBA/CaJ spleen. At the conclusion of 48 h HU, bone marrow TNKA of CBA/N and CBA/CaJ mice fell to 60 and 49%, respectively, of their saline-injected (2 X/day, i.p.) control levels, while spleen TNKA fell to 42 and 61%, respectively, of their saline-injected control levels. In the bone marrow, NK cell depletion in response to HU was more rapid in CBA/N mice (day 0.5 after HU) than in CBA/CaJ mice (day 2 after HU). TNKA of the spleen also decreased more rapidly in CBA/N mice (day 2 after HU) than in CBA/CaJ mice (day 3 after HU). The data indicate an enhanced production and turnover of NK cells in CBA/N mice relative to CBA/CaJ mice. Moreover, increased production and renewal of NK cells in CBA/N mice together with virtually unchanged levels of NK activity (112% of CBA/CaJ mice) in CBA/N mouse spleens indicate that mature lytic NK cells in CBA/N spleen but not bone marrow have a significantly shorter post-mitotic life span than do NK cells in the spleens of immunologically normal (CBA/CaJ) mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Christopher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000494:pharmacology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D006918:Hydroxyurea