Thymus origin of lymphocytes reacting and stimulating reaction in mixed lymphocyte cultures--studies in the rat

Abstract

Mixed lymphocyte cultures between pairs of allogeneic cell suspensions from rat thymus of one strain versus thymus, lymph node, spleen or bone marrow from a histo-incompatible strain, have shown a decreasing gradient of stimulation capacity. After complete neonatal thymectomy 6 weeks previously, lymph-node lymphocytes are shown to have diminished or absent capacity to stimulate allogeneic rat thymocytes in mixed culture. It it concluded that thymus-derived lymphocytes appear to be required both for stimulation as well as for reaction in the mixed lymphocyte test.