Thymus independent anti-horse erythrocyte antibody response and suppressor T cells in the Mexican axolotl (Amphibia, Urodela, ambystoma mexicanum).

Anti-horse erythrocyte (anti-HRBC) antibody synthesis was studied in normal, early thymectomized and adult thymectomized axolotls. The kinetics of the responses were similar to those described in the same species for antibody synthesis against bacterial or viral antigens. Booster injections did not induce any characteristic anamnestic responses. Early and adult thymectomized axoltls gave in three experimental groups higher anti-HRBC responses than controls. It is concluded that HRBC acts in the axolotl as a thymus-independent antigen. The enhanced response in early as well as in adult thymectomized animals can be interpreted by the presence of a suppressor T-cell activity on anti-HRBC synthesis. These results do not exclude possible thymus-dependent responses for antibody synthesis in the axolotl, although such responses were not demonstrated in urodele. The questionable lacking of some functional T-cell subsets in urodele is discussed as a working hypothesis.