Amplification of the murine leukemia virus Mr 70,000 glycoprotein gene product by human xenografts in athymic mice.

Passage of human tumors in athymic mice is accompanied by an increase in serum levels of the Mr 70,000 murine leukemia virus envelope protein, gp70. Elevated levels of gp70 can be detected in tissues of the hematopoietic systems of mice bearing human xenografts, but there is no evidence of synthesis of gp70 in these tissues. By far, the highest concentration of gp70 is in the human xenografts themselves.

Induction of lymphoma in antigenically stimulated athymic mice.

Athymic mice infected with pinworms or carrying human tumor xenografts frequently develop a lymphoproliferative disorder which eventually leads to lymphoma. By immunofluorescent analysis of involved tissues, the lymphomas appear to be mixtures of null cells, B-cells, and T-cells. When each lymphoma is established in tissue culture, a predominant cell type grows out.

Induction of T- and B-lymphocyte responses in antigenically stimulated athymic mice.

Antigenic stimulation of athymic mice on the BALB/c background by infection with the pinworms Aspiculuris tetraptera and Syphacia obvelata or by xenografts of human tumors induced a proliferation of T- and B-lymphocytes in spleen and lymph nodes and occasional germinal center formation. The proliferating T-lymphocytes showed greater fluorescence per cell than the Thy 1-positive cells from unstimulated athymic mice when examined by cytofluorography using anti-Thy 1 antiserum. The proliferating T-lymphocytes were shown to be functional by their ability to help mount an in vivo antibody response to sheep erythrocytes and other thymus-dependent antigens.

Induction of lymphoma in athymic mice: a model for study of the human disease.

A murine lymphoma, designated L1, was produced in immunologically deficient nude mice after chronic antigenic stimulation by infection with the pinworms Aspiculuris tetraptera and Syphacia obvelata. In vivo, L1 involves primarily the spleen and lymph nodes, with infiltration of liver, kidney, and bone marrow also observed. It is characterized by large clusters of B cells and null cells, and by rare T cells.

Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in athymic and conventional BALB/c mice.

Spleen cells from conventional BALB/c or athymic mice with streptozotocin (SZ)-induced hyperglycemia failed to raise blood sugar levels when injected into athymic or thymus-sufficient recipients. Passive transfer efforts were unsuccessful despite variations in donor-recipient pairs with respect to age, thymic function, or time after sensitization of donor mice. Athymic mice develop hyperglycemia following SZ but fail to mount an inflammatory lymphocyte infiltration.