Abstract
Summary
The present results show that reconstitution of neonatally thymectomized C3H mice may be accomplished by colonization of the lymphoid tissues by injected reticular cells from several sites; these “stem” cells from adult and newborn donors have had the benefit of a thymic humoral factor. The low efficiency of newborn thymic cells may be the result of few “stem” cells as suggested by the results of Yunis et al. The considerable number of deaths of apparently reconstituted mice, nearly 30% in an 8-10 month observation period, suggest to us the likely possibility of depletion of “stem” cells in mice deprived of thymic tissue. The functional integrity of the thymus may indeed be necessary for permanent reconstitution.
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