Lack of effect of thymectomy on spontaneous recovery from tolerance to levan

摘要

AbstractAdult CBA mice were made tolerant with 1 mg levan and tested subsequently for spontaneous recovery by plaque‐forming cell assay in response to immunizing challenge. Weakening of tolerance was first detectable only after 100 days, while return to full normal responsiveness required 400 days. Thymectomy 2 weeks prior to tolerization neither retarded nor diminished the recovery process. Loss of tolerance which had been induced by 1 mg dextran B512 was much slower in onset (>250 days), yet not delayed by thymectomy (full recovery was not followed).These findings in relation to other considerations imply that associative recognition by T cells is not required for B cell responses to these “thymus‐independent” a