DEMONSTRATION OF THYMUS-INDEPENDENT IMMUNE SYSTEM IN XENOPUS-LAEVIS - RESPONSE TO POLYVINYLPYRROLIDONE

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 31  (1) , 125-128
Abstract
Larvae of X. laevis were thymectomized at stage 45 (4 days old), and raised beyond metamorphosis. Thymectomized toads, when injected with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), produced the same titers of antibodies as non-thymectomized animals, providing strong evidence that the thymus-independent immune response is present in this anuran. Antibodies were of exclusively high MW, heat-stable and 2-mercaptoethanol sensitive. After immunization, lymphoid accumulations were evident in the splenic white pulp of thymectomized and non-thymectomized toads, but in the red pulp the accumulations were prominent only in non-thymectomized toads.