EVIDENCE FOR A HUMORAL THYMIC FACTOR IN RABBITS

  • 1 January 1966
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 10  (2) , 187-+
Abstract
Rabbits thymectomized between 12 and 36 hours after birth subsequently show reduced levels of circulating lymphocytes together with a lowered immunological response to human [gamma] -globulin. These effects of thy-mectomy can, to a large extent, be prevented by means of intraperl-toneal autotransplants of thymus in a Millipore diffusion chamber. It appears possible that the eplthellal-retlcular cells of the transplant persist in the diffusion chamber and elaborate a humoral factor, or factors, which take part in maturation of antibody-producing cells.