Transplantation of cultured thymic fragments: results in nude mice. V. Reconstitution with xenogeneic (rat) thymic tissue.

Transplantation of F344 rat cultured thymic fragments was able to restore immune function to nude mice. Approximately half of such animals displayed increased lifespan (7-8 months). These mice were also capable of rejecting allogeneic mouse skin and rat skin from a strain (Buffalo) unrelated to the thymus donor; however, they were incapable of rejecting rat skin from the thymus donor strain. Proliferative responses to T-cell mitogens were restored. Proliferative responses to alloantigens and xenoantigens in mixed leucocyte cultures were also restored and showed the same patterns of specific reactivity and non-reactivity as in skin graft rejection. The ability to make antibody responses to specific antigens was also restored, but the responsiveness was more variable than for cell-mediated responses. Some mice were able to make antibody to rabbit serum proteins; however, fewer mice made antibody to ovalbumin. The inability to respond to ovalbumin may be due to the fact that F344 rats are low responders to this protein. These results suggest that cultured xenogeneic thymus is effective in restoring two major differentiation functions of the normal thymus gland: development of specific antigen responsiveness and non-responsiveness.