Immune responses in newly developed short-lived SAM mice. Selectively impaired T-helper cell activity in in vitro antibody response.
New short-lived strains of mice (SAM-P), which have been developed by Takeda et al. (1981), shows a defective antibody response to T dependent (TD) antigen in vitro, as demonstrated in the accompanying paper (see page 419). In the present study, we investigated the cellular site of the defect, using a cell culture system. In this paper, it is demonstrated that T-helper (Th) cell activity for the antibody response to TD antigen is impaired, while other cellular immune responses, e.g. mixed leucocyte reaction, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response, and delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction, are normal. These results suggest that the defect in T-helper subset is limited in helper function for the antibody response, and that the helper function for the cell-mediated immune responses is intact. These two functions of the T-helper subset are apparently regulated in a different manner. The SAM-P strains of mice may thus serve as an appropriate model for studying functional heterogeneity in T-helper/inducer cell subsets.
D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
D000941:Antigens