Immune reactivity prior to development of thymic lymphoma in C57BL mice

Abstract

Abstract The immune response of C57BL mice was tested following treatment with either irradiation or methylcholanthrene. Response to a weak histocompatibility antigen difference (male to female skin grafts) was found to be depressed after both treatments as was the response to a strong (H2) antigen difference as measured by the Simonsen graft‐versus‐host reaction. The potent immunodepressant drug 6‐mercaptopurine was found to be carcinogenic in this strain of mouse, inducing approximately 29 % thymic lymphomas when given to young mice. Females of the high spontaneous lymphoma strain AKR were found to have a markeldly decreased ability to reject male skin grafts as compared with the C57BL strain.