Antibody Production by Mice Repopulated with Limited Numbers of Clones of Lymphoid Cell Precursors

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Abstract
Summary: Lethally irradiated (850 r) CBA mice were given intravenous injections of 105 bone marrow cells from normal adult (CBA × T6)F1 donors. Four to 13 discrete colonies, assumedly of clonal origin, developed in their spleens. The colonies were composed of cells of the several hemopoietic cell lines and of a small number of undifferentiated precursor cells; typical lymphoid cells were not seen in the early colonies. The spleen-colonies were removed on the 10th day after irradiation and repopulation, at a time when immunologically competent cells could not be demonstrated in the spleen by the Jerne technique. Cell preparations derived from the colonies were used to repopulate secondary irradiated CBA mice. The myeloid and lymphoid tissues of some of these hosts were then employed for the repopulation of a third group of lethally irradiated CBA animals (tertiary hosts). Secondary and tertiary host mice surviving more than 30 days were challenged with sheep red blood cells, bovine serum albumin and killed organisms of a strain of S. typhosa. They produced antibody to these antigens just as well as did appropriate nonclonal control mice. The hemopoietic and lymphoid systems of such clonally repopulated mice were of donor origin as indicated by the presence of the T6 marker chromosome in 100% of the mitotic cells of the bone marrow, spleen and mesenteric lymph node of most of the mice. The findings are discussed with reference to the question of the nature of the genetic control of immunoglobulin specificity.

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