Antibody Responses to Two Synthetic Polypeptides: The Role of the Thymic Epithelial Reticulum

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Abstract
Thymectomized, lethally irradiated mice that normally respond well to the synthetic polypeptide (T, G)-A—L but poorly to (H,G)-A—L were protected with liver cells and a thymus graft from fetal mice of a strain that responds to these antigens in the opposite manner. All chimeras failed to respond to (T,G)-A—L, but 24 of 27 responded well to (H,G)-A—L. Moreover, when thymectomized mice that respond well to (H,G)-A—L but poorly to (T,G)-A—L were lethally irradiated, protected with syngeneic fetal liver cells, and grafted with thymus from newborn mice of a strain that normally responds well to both antigens, the resultant chimeras responded to (H,G)-A—L only. These data indicate that the control of the antibody response to these two antigens is expressed through a cell type(s) present in the liver during embryonic life. while it is apparent that the presence of the thymus was essential for a detectable response to these synthetic polypeptides, the phenotypic expression of the response was independent of the genotype of the thymic epithelial reticulum.

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