Regluating factors in helper T-cell maturation.

The effect of soluble and insoluble thymic fractions (STF and ITF, respectively) on the antibody response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) was tested at different times after injection in mice. In normal mice, a temporary increase in the number of plaque forming cells (PFCs) was observed after injecting either ITF and STF, this increase being more prolonged when both fractions were injected together. In thymectomized, lethally irradiated mice repopulated with syngeneic untreated bone marrow, full reconstitution of T helper function was achieved only if both ITF and SFT were injected, partial reconstitution being obtained when either of these fractions was administered alone. In thymectomized, lethally irradiated mice repopulated with T-depleted bone marrow, reconstitution of the T helper function was only achieved when both ITF and SFT were administered. These results show that ITF and STF together constitute all the essential elements of the thymic microenvironment necessary to support the entire differentiation process of prethymic precurosors into helper T cells.