Reduced gonadotropins in athymic mice: prevention by thymic transplantation.

The reduction in pituitary concentrations of gonadotropins observed in 20-day old congenitally athymic nude mice in comparison to their normal heterozygous littermates was completely prevented in females and partially prevented in males by thymic transplantation on the first day of life. Those athymic mice receiving transplants but in which no thymic tissue could be found at sacrifice had reduced pituitary gonadotropin concentrations equivalent to sham-operated athymic animals. From these data we infer that the reduced concentrations of gonadotropins seen in the athymic animals are causally related to the absence of the thymus and suggest that the thymus, directly or indirectly, is necessary for development of normal function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in mice.