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Thymic Function in NZB Mice

II. Regulatory Influence of a Circulating Thymic Factor on Antibody Production Against Polyvinylpyrrolidone in NZB Mice¹

Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale - Unité 25- Necker Hospital 161, rue de Sèvres - 75730 Paris Cedex 15, France

Abstract

Administration of a circulating thymic factor isolated from normal pig blood prevented the development of the exaggerated production of anti-polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) antibody in young NZB mice. However, treatment was ineffective if initiated after the 4th week of life at a time when endogenous serum thymic factor (TF) normally disappears in these mice. These data suggest that circulating TF is necessary for the survival of short-lived suppressor T cells normally implicated in the regulation of the production of antibodies against PVP, a thymus-independent antigen. In older NZB mice, TF treatment increased paradoxically anti-PVP antibody production, which suggests that "amplifier" T cell activity could also be under TF influence.

Footnotes

¹ This work was supported in part by an INSERM Contract ATP No. 74-32.