title: Studies on the syngeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction. I. The ontogeny of the syngeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction in mice.
abstract: The syngeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (SMLR) is the proliferative response of T lymphocytes cultured with syngeneic non-T lymphocytes. The ontogenic development of the SMLR has been studied in BALB/c mice. The SMLR is not demonstrable in BALB/c mice less than 3 weeks old. The SMLR attains an adult level of activity at 4 weeks of age. Splenic T cells from mice less than 3 weeks old do not respond and splenic non-T cells do not stimulate an SMLR. T-cell preparations acquire the capacity to respond in the SMLR between 2 and 3 weeks of age and non-T cells acquire the capacity to stimulate in SMLR between 3 and 4 weeks old. Spleen cells from 1 week old mice suppress the adult SMLR. Suppressor activity was eliminated by depleting either Thy-1.2 positive cells or adherent cells. When suppressor activity was eliminated, spleen cells from 1 week old donors were capable of stimulating syngeneic T cells. Spleen cells from 1 week old nude BALB/c mice do not suppress the SMLR and stimulate syngeneic T cells normally. These results suggest that the impaired SMLR in very young mice is, at least in part, due to cell-mediated suppression of the SMLR.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008819:Mice, Nude; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology