Effect of tumor immunity on the distribution of labeled lymphoid cells in tumor-challenged mice

Abstract

The distribution of 51Cr-labeled lymphoid cells from normal mice and mice immunized against a tumor were compared after intravenous inoculation of the labeled cells into normal syngeneic recipients. Spleen cell preparations from immune donors contained increased percentages of spleen and bone marrow-seeking cells, thus suggesting expansion of these cell populations when immunity to a tumor exists. Homing of labeled normal cells in tumor cell-injected normal animals was somewhat different from that seen in tumor cell-inoculated mice that were immunized against the tumor. In the latter case, accumulations of lymph node and spleen cells in recipient lymph nodes and bone marrow were consistently lower. In contrast, lymphoid cells from animals immunized against the tumor were found to accumulate in virtually the same percentages in lymphoid organs of normal and immune recipients. The behavior of lymphoid cell populations from thymus or bone marrow that consist mainly of precursor cells was unaffected by presence of malignancy and/or tumor immunity.