Specifically Increased Graft-versus-Host Reactivity of Thymus Cells from Immunized Mice

Abstract

IT has recently been shown that thymus cells from immunized mice are capable of transferring immune reactivity. Sub-lethally irradiated recipient mice exhibit recall tetanus antitoxin production after they have been injected with thymus cells from mice immunized with tetanus toxoid¹. Similarly, thymus cells from mice immunized with bovine serum albumin are capable of transferring antibody formation capacity when injected into non-irradiated recipients². The work recorded here was undertaken to determine whether thymus cells from mice immunized to F₁ hybrid histocompatibility antigens would exhibit specifically increased graft-versus-host immunological reactivity after injection into F₁ hybrid mice of the immunizing strain. We will show that immunization does specifically increase the graft-versus -host reactivity of thymus cells, and that the relative increase in reactivity is similar to that observed with injection of spleen cell populations from similarly immunized animals.