T lymphocytes affect the development of sympathetic innervation of mouse spleen.
We investigated whether the development of sympathetic innervation of the spleen is affected by lymphoid cells. Splenic noradrenaline (NA) levels of athymic nude mice (nu/nu) and normal thymus-bearing littermates (nu/+) were determined at different times during ontogeny. While no differences were detected at birth, higher splenic NA levels were found in 7-, 11-, and 21-day-old athymic mice. Thymus transplantation or thymocyte injection to newborn nude mice resulted in splenic NA levels comparable to those of normal nu/+ mice. Histochemical studies fully confirmed such differences. Taken together with previous studies, these results suggest that T lymphocytes or their products exert an inhibitory influence on sympathetic nerve fibers, thus leading to decreased NA content in the spleen. The data also illustrate the capacity of a nonneuronal cell in a peripheral organ to affect the process of autonomic innervation of this organ.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000032:analysis; D013154:Spleen / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000294:innervation*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000637:transplantation
D009638:Norepinephrine