Blood, 1968, Vol. 31, No. 6, pp. 727-746.
© 1968 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Cell Migration from the Thymus to Other Lymphoid
Organs in Hamsters of Different Ages
T. J. LINNA 1
1 Institute of Human Anatomy, Department of Histology, University of Uppsala,
Uppsala, Sweden.
Hamsters of different ages were labeled intra thymus and intravenously with
3H-thymidine. After extraction of nucleic acids, measurements of DNA content and tritium activity, the specific activity of different organs was calculated.
By comparing the pattern of label of different organs after these quantitative
measurements, it could be concluded that a good local labeling was obtained
in all intra thymus injected animals, and a quantitatively significant transport
of label could be shown to occur from the thymus to the mesenteric lymph
nodes and Peyer’s patches in animals of both sexes, and also to the spleen of
male animals. This transport was shown in 23 day old hamsters in which the
lymphatic organs except the thymus still are immature. No such transport
could be demonstrated in adult animals. Autoradiographic examinations also
showed a good local labeling in the intra thymus injected animals and a
migration of heavily labeled cells to mesenteric lymph nodes in 7 days old
animals, and to mesenteric lymph nodes, Peyer’s patches and the white pulp
of the spleen in 23 days old animals. Only single heavily labeled cells were
found in the "peripheral" lymphatic organs of adult animals.
Submitted on March 14, 1967
Accepted on November 6, 1967
