T cell factor (interleukin 2) allows in vivo induction of T helper cells against heterologous erythrocytes in athymic (nu/nu) mice
✍ Scribed by Hans Stötter; Erwin Rüde; Hermann Wagner
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1980
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 409 KB
- Volume
- 10
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0014-2980
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
Mice carrying the nude mutation (nu/nu) lack a functioning thymus and do not contain detectable levels of immunocompetent T cells. We now report that nu/nu mice do have lymphocytes which can be activated in vivo by heterologous erythrocytes and a Lyt‐1 T cell‐derived factor (interleukin 2) to generate T helper cells. Thus, a lymphokine is described which is able to restore in vivo T helper cell immunocompetence of nu/nu mice. The data may suggest that nu/nu mice contain a low number of T lymphocytes influenced by the cystic remnant of the nu/nu thymus anlage. Alternatively, the data imply that interleukin 2 circumvents the requirement of a thymus during ontogeny of T lymphocytes.