Postnatal development of T cells. II. in vitro migratory properties
Pyke, K.W.; Papiernik, M.; Bach, J.F.
Journal of Immunology 123(5): 2316-2318
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-1767 PMID: 314959 Document Number: 148926
The in vitro migration pattern of neonatal spleen cells was studied in a system of grafts: the newborn spleen was grafted under the renal capsule of adult mice, either normal, thymectomized as adults [Atx] or T[irradiated, Atx, bone marrow reconstituted]-deprived animals. The influence of thymic humoral factors on these cells was studied by grafting some of the hosts with thymic tissue in cell-impermeable diffusion chambers. The cells of the neonatal spleen contain subpopulations that migrate specifically to the thymus, the spleen or the lymph nodes, these migration patterns are not influenced by thymic humoral function. In T-deprived animals, in the absence of any thymic influences, only cells that migrated to the thymus were present. Under the influence of thymic humoral factors, this thymus-seeking population became minimal while a new population of spleen- and node-seeking cells was detectable. Apparently there is a sequence of maturation in terms of lymphoid organ homing of precursor cells and 1 population may generate the succeeding populations. A thymic humoral factor may play a role in these changes in migration patterns without necessarily direct correlation with changes in classic criteria of T [thymus-derived] cell maturation.