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Regulation of Contact Sensitivity to Dnfb in the Mouse: Effects of Adult Thymectomy and Thymic Factor¹

Unité INSERM 131, 32, rue des Carnets, 92140 Clamart, and Unité INSERM 25, Hôpital Necker, 75015 Paris (France)

Abstract

The contact sensitivity response to DNFB is decreased after adult thymectomy (ATX). This response decreases to 50% of the control response of normal age-matched mice as soon as 3 weeks after ATX and is not further depressed 9 to 16 weeks after ATX. These results suggest that two T cell subsets of different lifespan are involved in the anti-DNFB response. A circulating thymic factor (FTS) is able to restore the contact sensitivity response to DNFB when injected 3 to 9 weeks after ATX but not 16 weeks later. By contrast, FTS has a depressive effect on the contact sensitivity response to DNFB of normal mice through a cyclophosphamide-sensitive T cell subset. These results suggest that FTS regulates DNFB contact sensitivity by acting on a cyclophosphamide-sensitive T cell subset, still present 9 weeks after ATX but absent after 16 weeks. Thus although the T cell defect, causing a depression of the contact sensitivity reaction to DNFB is quantitatively similar 3 and 16 weeks after ATX, its nature is probably different.

Footnotes

¹ This work was supported by grants from INSERM ATP 75–76 and DGRST 77-7-0042.

² All correspondence should be addressed to D. Erard, INSERM U 131, 32, rue des Carnets, 92140 Clamart, France.