An in vitro and in vivo analysis of murine immunocompetence during pregnancy and lactation.
Spleen cells from pregnant and lactating BALB/c mice were depressed in their cytolytic capabilities after in vivo immunization with the allogeneic EL4 lymphoma. However, in vitro spleen cells from both syngeneic (BALB/c X BALB/c) and allogeneic (BALB/c X C57BL/6J) matings responded with proliferative and cytolytic responses which were comparable to virgin controls. Upon secondary in vitro stimulation, in vivo primed maternal cells had responses which were similar to virgin controls. In addition, the in vivo sensitized maternal spleen cells adoptively immunized in irradiated allogeneic recipients responded like the virgin controls. In these studies, suppressor cells could not be detected in either nonimmune or immune maternal spleen cell populations.
D000818:Animals; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006087:Graft vs Host Reaction; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007121:Immunocompetence; D007774:Lactation; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal