Benner R, van Oudenaren A, Haaijman J J
Immunology. 1978 Oct;35(4):619-26.
The bone marrow of young adult nude mice was investigated as a site of antibody formation after intravenous immunization with the thymus-independent antigen lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Mice heterozygous for the nu-gene were found to be capable of a plaque-forming cell (PFC) response in both spleen and bone marrow after primary and secondary immunization with LPS. Primary immunization of nude mice with LPS induced a normal PFC response in the spleen, but did not evoke the appearance of PFC in the bone marrow. During the secondary response the nude mice did show PFC activity in the bone marrow, but at a much lower level than their heterozygous littermates. At all time points after secondary immunization the number of splenic PFC was higher in nude mice than in the control mice. Determination by immunofluorescence of cells containing cytoplasmic immunoglobulin (C-Ig cells) in the bone marrow of young adult nonimmune nude and heterozygous mice, revealed a three times higher number of C-IgM cells in the bone marrow of the heterozygous thymus-bearing mice. On the other hand, the number of splenic C-IgM cells was higher in the nude mice than in their heterozygous littermates. These results suggest that the presence of the thymus facilitates the appearance of mature antibody-forming cells in the bone marrow of young adult mice, irrespective of whether the generation of these cells is initiated by so called thymus-dependent or thymus-independent antigens.
用胸腺非依赖性抗原脂多糖（LPS）静脉免疫后，对成年幼龄裸鼠的骨髓作为抗体形成部位进行了研究。发现nu基因杂合的小鼠在初次和二次用LPS免疫后，脾脏和骨髓中均能产生空斑形成细胞（PFC）反应。用LPS对裸鼠进行初次免疫，可在脾脏中诱导正常的PFC反应，但不会在骨髓中引发PFC的出现。在二次反应期间，裸鼠在骨髓中确实表现出PFC活性，但水平远低于其杂合的同窝小鼠。二次免疫后的所有时间点，裸鼠脾脏中的PFC数量均高于对照小鼠。通过免疫荧光法对成年非免疫裸鼠和杂合小鼠骨髓中含有细胞质免疫球蛋白的细胞（C-Ig细胞）进行测定，发现有胸腺的杂合小鼠骨髓中的C-IgM细胞数量高出三倍。另一方面，裸鼠脾脏中的C-IgM细胞数量高于其杂合的同窝小鼠。这些结果表明，胸腺的存在促进了成年幼龄小鼠骨髓中成熟抗体形成细胞的出现，无论这些细胞的产生是由所谓的胸腺依赖性抗原还是胸腺非依赖性抗原引发的。
