Effects on N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea on Carrier-Primed Anti-Hapten Responses in Xenopus Laevis

Abstract

Young adult Xenopus laevis were treated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea at doses which temporarily or permanently remove the thymic cortex and suppress allograft immune competence. Their ability to mount a carrier-primed, helper T cell-mediated, hapten-specific response was tested in terms of numbers of antigen binding cells in the spleen. Animals which had retained skin allografts for more than 300 days lacked helper activity, while those which had eventually rejected their allografts were able to mount an anti-hapten response. All groups of Xenopus exposed to the carcinogen rejected skin xenografts after the same time as untreated control animals.