Evidence for thymus involvement in development of adrenal and gonadal endocrine functions in mice.

The endocrine function of the gonads and adrenals was studied in mice with congenital athymia (mutation nude); in normal mice thymectomized at 3 days of age and in congenitally athymic mice with thymic transplants from the 5th day of life. The data demonstrated that abnormal function of the adrenals and testes in nude mice is related to the absence of a functionally active thymus during early ontogenesis. The effect of thymosin (fraction 5) on the formation of adrenal functional activity was studied in congenitally athymic and normal mice.

[Immunohistochemical study of alpha-fetoprotein in the postnatal ontogeny of mice with a varying sensitivity to liver carcinogens].

The ontogenesis of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was studied in the C57BL, CC57BR, C3H/He, A/He and DD mice during the first 4 weeks of life. The AFP hepatocytes were determined by indirect immunofluorescent staining of liver cells isolated with sodium tetraphenyl borate; the content of AFP in blood was determined by the method of rado immunodiffusion. The methods utilized allowed to obtain the quantitative characteristics of the dynamics of AFP-positive cells in the liver and the content of AFP in the blood.