Role of the Thymus in Humoral Immunity

Functional Specificity of Antigen‐Binding Receptors of Lymphocytes

“…Although considerable clarification of the complex cellular interactions among specific cells involved in humoral immune responses has been achieved by these studies, the situation is not so clear for the cells specifically participating in delayed hypersensitivity reactions and in vitro correlates of this phenomenon. At the present dme, it is known that neonatal thymectomy in mice and rats considerably diminishes allograft immunity (Miller 1961, Arnason et al 1962, Good et al 1962 and various experiments of nature in the human (Lischner & DiGeorge 1969) attest to the requirement of the thymus for cellular immune reactions. Although, clearly, the bone marrow is the direct source of the cells participating, non-specifically, in delayed hypersensitivity reactions (Lubaroff & Waksman 1968a, b), it is not yet known whether a population of specific bone marrow derived cells, equivalent to the precursors of antibody forming cells and, presumably, to the 'hapten specific' cells of the antibody responses to hapten-carrier conjugates, are required for delayed type reactions.…”

Immunodeficiency in DiGeorge Syndrome and Options for Treating Cases with Complete Athymia

“…It was recognized early on that the T-cell immunodeficiency may be incomplete and the term partial DGS (pDGS) was coined (50). In a large series of patients with 22q11 deletions, the proportion of affected individuals falling into the cDGS category was around 1.5% of the 218 who underwent immunological testing or around 0.5% of the whole series of over 550 patients (13).…”

“…Humoral immune defects and disturbance of B-cell immunity were recognized very early on after DGS was first described (50). These may be relevant to the types of infections suffered.…”

The lymphoid system and experimental neoplasias

“…Others have, however, studied rabbits (Sutherland, Archer, and Good, 1964), pigs (Binns, McFarlin, and Sugar, 1972), sheep (Silverstein and Kraner, 1965;Silverstein and Prendergast, 1970;Cole and Morris, 1971a and b), and man (Lischner and DiGeorge, 1969), and it is clear that if any one of these species had been adopted as the type-specimen that our present understanding of the lymphoid system and the immune response would have a very different complexion. Perhaps the most dramatic example is provided by the studies of Cole and Morris and of Silverstein who have emphasized that sheep which have been completely deprived of T cells-during foetal life-can reject skin homografts and can perform nearly all other immunological functions in a normal manner after birth.…”