Specificity of helper T cells for different antigens

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Abstract
BALB/c nude mice have been injected with 106 congenic thymus cells, a number which allows some, but not all mice to respond to any particular T‐dependent antigen. These mice have been tested for their ability to respond to three bacteriophages, T4, T7 and ΦX, sheep and horse erythrocytes, and alloantigens of C3H and C57BL/6 mice. The number of mice able to respond to each of these antigens was of the same order of magnitude. Sheep and horse erythrocytes showed cross‐reactivitty at the T cell level, i.e. the responses to these two antigens were not independent. The same was observed for C3H and C57BL/6. Otherwise, the responses were independent showing that the antigens are recognize by different populations of specific helper T cells.