Maturation of the lymphoid system. IV. Ontogenetic compartmentalization of T cell function

Pretreatment of one day old but not eight day old or adult A/J mice with soluble ovalbumin (OVA) initiated specific T-cell unresponsiveness as reflected both in T-cell dependent cellular proliferation and in anti-hapten antibody responses to dinitrophenyl-OVA. In contrast, injection of soluble human gamma globulin into either neonatal or adult A/J mice resulted in unresponsiveness. The ability of lymph node T-cells to be sensitized by protein antigens occurred shortly after birth, since the degree of sensitization in 9 and 26 day old mice was similar. Finally, a striking ontogenetic difference was noted in the capacity of lymphocytes derived from the lymph nodes and spleens of young mice to respond to T-cell mitogens. Thus, while splenocytes obtained from 9 day old mice exhibited meager responses to PHA and Con A, lymph node cells from these animals responded at nearly adult levels. These observations are interpreted as reflecting an ontogenetic and tissue-specific division of T-cell function.