Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Boniver

Publications and source records attributed to J Boniver.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Thymic microenvironment and cultures derived from mouse thymic explants. A morphological study.

Cultures derived from thymus fragments of embryonic (18-19 day old), newborn or one month old C57BL mice have been characterized functionally l(phagocytic and nonspecific esterase activities) and morphologically by means of light, scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. The observations show the heterogeneity of the cell populations composing the monolayers. After a few days incubation macrophages appear as the predominating cell type, while epithelial cells usually constitute no more than 30% of the cells. Experiments designed to determine the fate of lymphocytes adhering to the monolayers lead us to believe (on the basis of SEM morphometric analysis) that the survival of lymphocytes attached either to thymic macrophages or to epithelial cells is improved during the first days of coculture. This survival enhancement does not, however, appear to be a specific inductive effect since a similar survival increase is found when lymphocytes adhere to non-thymic cells. In contrast with the monolayer, the explant provides a three-dimensional culture system able to preserve intact thymic microenvironmental conditions since numerous lymphocytes are found even in five week old cultures which were not overlaid with thymocytes or spleen cells.

Animals↗

Phenotypic characterization of mice of thymus target cells susceptible to productive infection by the radiation leukemia virus.

The spread of virus replication was studied by electron microscopy in the thymuses of inbred C57BL/Ka mice after intrathymic inoculation of the radiation leukemia virus (RadLV). The first type C-budding virus particles appeared in scarce blast cells of the subcapsular zone. Most of these blast cells were "X-cells," i.e., the thymus lymphoid cells most actively engaged in DNA synthesis. Virus replication spread to the entire cortical blast cell population and, from day 7 on, to the small cortical lymphocytes. The first virus-producing cells were derived from a very few target cells (approximately 0.001-0.003% of thymocytes) susceptible to RadLV infection. For determination of the phenotypes of these target cells, various thymocyte subpopulations obtained through a battery of cell separation methods were tested for their ability to support the replication of RadLV/VL3 virus in short-term culture. Most of these target cells were sensitive to the lytic effect of hydrocortisone and migrated in the fastest fraction of a 1Xg sedimentation gradient, together with the majority of [3H] thymidine-incorporating blast cells. They exhibited an intermediate density and expressed H-2 and Thy 1,2 cell surface antigens, although they were not found preferentially among the high Thy 1,2 population to which most of the cortical blast cells belonged. The spread of RadLV within the thymus and the surface phenotype characteristics of target cells indicate that these cells correspond to the thymocyte subset at the earliest stage of thymic lymphopoiesis and may be transitional between the prothymocytes and the subcapsular blast cell population.

Animals↗

Macrophage and lymphocyte-depleted thymus reticuloepithelial cell cultures: establishment and functional influence on T-lymphocyte maturation, C-type virus expression and lymphomatous transformation in vitro.

A method of cultivation has been developed that yields thymus reticuloepithelial (TRE) cell monolayers composed almost entirely of epithelial-like cells, with no detectable macrophages or lymphocytes. These cultures show the capacity to induce responsiveness to lectin mitogens in immature thymocytes. Such monolayers induce Thy-1 expression in nude mouse spleen and bone marrow cells. The functional macrophage-lymphocyte depleted TRE monolayers can be cryptically infected by radiation leukemia virus (RadLV). However, RadLV-infected TRE cells lack the capacity to induce neoplastic transformation in normal weanling and newborn thymocytes. Cultures prepared from C57BL/Ka mice treated with a leukemogenic course of irradiation produce a B-fibrotropic nonleukemogenic virus, and normal thymocytes cocultivated with these monolayers do not undergo in vitro transformation. It is concluded that TRE monolayers depleted of macrophages and lymphocytes: (1) exhibit the functional capacity to induce some of the properties of mature T cells; (2) are infectable by RadLV; (3) are one of the sites for expression of ecotropic virus after leukemogenic fractionated irradiation; and (4) are not capable of transforming normal thymocytes in vitro.

Animals↗

Marrow-thymus interactions during radiation leukemogenesis in C57BL/Ka mice.

Transplantation of thymus and bone marrow cells from irradiated C57BL/Ka mice demonstrated the presence of potentially neoplastic cells in the thymus at 30 to 60 days postirradiation. During the same interval, no such cells could be detected in the bone marrow; moreover, the capacity of bone marrow cells to repopulate the thymus was impaired severely. These observations suggest that the primary site of neoplastic transformation in irradiated C57BL/Ka mice is the thymus rather than the bone marrow and that impaired thymic regeneration is a critical step in radiation leukemogenesis in mice.

Animals↗

Cytochemistry of mouse mast cell reaction to polylysine.

The modifications of mouse mast cells incubated in solutions of polylysine at two different concentrations are studied. At higher dose (0.5 mg/ml), the polycation has evident toxic effects. At lower dose (0.5 micrograms/ml), it induces some modifications of the granule morphology. Cytochemical reactions to demonstrate polyanions, basic proteins and organic bases are used to study the granule content. A polylysine treatment promotes the release of basic groups (vaso-amines) and sulphydryl-containing compounds (basic protein) from the mast cell granules. On the contrary, polyanions remain in the cells and correspond to the granule matrix persisting after amino-liberator treatment.

Amines↗

Detection of infectious centers in C57BL/Ka lymphoid cell populations infected in vitro by the radiation leukemia virus.

The cocultivation of nonproducer lymphoma cells derived from a radiation-induced lymphoma of the C57BL/Ka mouse with cultures of lymphoid cell populations from the thymus, spleen, and marrow of the same strain 48 hr after their infection by the C57BL/Ka leukemia viruses permits the detection of infectious centers in these cultures. A quantitative assay is described which allows the estimation in lymphoid cell subpopulations of the numbers of target cells susceptible to productive infection by the thymotropic and leukemogenic viruses of C57BL/Ka mice in vitro. This assay should greatly facilitate the identification and characterization of such target cells.

Animals↗

Establishment, characterization and virus expression of cell lines derived from radiation- and virus-induced lymphomas of C57BL/Ka mice.

Permanent cell lines have been established in vitro from lymphoid tumors induced in C57BH/Ka mice by fractionated X-irradiation or by inoculation of the radiation leukemia virus (RadOV). The cultured cells are lymphoblastic, replicate rapidly in vitro, and are tumorigenic in vivo. The cell surface markers Thy 1, Ly 1, Ly 2,3 and GIX are expressed by the lymphoid tumor cells in the mouse and persist in the corresponding cell lines; expression of the H-2 and TL antigens is greatly reduced during in vitro passage, but is restored on in vivo transplantation. The cell lines derived from RadLV-induced tumors (BL/VL lines) produce a virus population (RadLV/LTC) with the thymotropic and leukemogenic attributes of RadLV. Those derived from radiation-induced, virus-negative lymphomas (BL/RL lines) are initially devoid of MuLV expression, but frequently become spontaneous virus producers during in vitro cultivation.

Animals↗

Induction, establishment in vitro, and characterization of functional, antigen-specific, carrier-primed murine T-cell lymphomas.

T cells were isolated from spleens of C57BL/Ka/Thy 1.1/Lb mice immunized with 2,4-dinitrophenylated keyhole limpet hemocyanin (DNP-KLH). The mice were infected in vitro with radiation leukemia virus and injected intrathymically into congenic C57BL/Ka (Thy 1.2) recipients. Within 3-4 months, seven thymic lymphomas developed, five of which were of donor type. The donor lymphomas were explanted and permanent cell lines were established in vitro. These lymphoma cells are capable of providing antigen-specific carrier (KLH)-primed help to DNP-primed B lymphocytes in secondary antibody production to DNP-KLH. They also enhance the secondary antibody response of whole period spleen cell populations to DNP-KLH. The availability of these immortal clonable populations of immunofunctional neoplastic T lymphocytes should facilitate biological and biochemical investigations of lymphocyte interactions during synthesis of antibody to thymus-dependent antigens.

Animals↗

[Effect of vinblastine on the blast population of the thymus subcapsular zone in the mouse].

It is well admitted that blast cells of the thymic subcapsular zone play an important role in murine leukemogenesis. Previous ultrastructural investigations have revealed the morphological heterogeneity of this population which is formed by lymphoblasts, X cells and ring shaped nucleolus cells. These aspects could correspond to different positions in the cell cycle of an unique cell type. After administration of vinblastine, a drug blocking mitosis in metaphasis, the percentage of lymphoblasts decreases whereas the percentage of X cells increases. There is no modification of the number of ring-shaped nucleolus cells. This suggests that at least a part of lymphoblasts gives rise to x cells.

Animals↗

In vivo infectivity of the fibrotropic C-type viral isolates from C57BL/Ka mice.

Of the three fibrotropic C-type viral isolates from C57BL/Ka mice, only the BL/Ka(B) virus is capable of infecting normal hematopoietic and lymphoid cell populations of C57BL/Ka mice in vivo, and none are tumorigenic. Inoculation of this virus alone into neonates resulted in transient replication in the bone marrow, spleen, and occasionally the thymus. Thymocytes could, however, be permanently infected in such animals if BL/Ka(B) were coinoculated with the xenotropic BL/Ka(X) virus. Neonatal injection of BL/Ka(B) prior to fractionated wholebody irradiation yielded an increase in the percentage of virus-productive radiogenic lymphomas and a decrease in incidence of such tumors. Injection of BL/Ka(B) into normal adult C57BL/Ka mice did not yield overt expression of virus replication in any of the tissues tested; latent infection could, however, be detected in the marrow and in the reticuloepithelium of the thymus. Whole-body X-irradiation of adults with 400 rads partially restored the neonatal susceptibility of bone marrow cells to infection by the isolate. BL/Ka(B) injection after fractionated whole-body irradiation of weanling C57BL/Ka mice increased the percentage of virus-positive lymphomas and revealed that a bone marrow cell subpopulation permissive for infection by the virus increases greatly in abundance soon after irradiation.

Animals↗

Cobalt thiocyanate as a stain for basic proteins and other organic bases on thin sections.

Thin sections in mouse mast cells and thymic cells are stained with cobalt thiocyanate a compound known to form insoluble complexes with organic bases. Chromatin, nucleolus, ribosomes and mast cell granules are contrasted. Different blockade reactions and enzymatic digestions indicate the staining corresponds to the basic protein amino-groups. The silver methenamine reaction stains the same cellular structures. However, the specificity control reactions show the staining mainly corresponds to protein sulphydryle groups and in a lesser extent to aldehyde and polyanions.

Animals↗

Ultrastructural autoradiographic study of blast cells in the mouse thymus. Interest for radioleukemia research.

Ultrastructural autoradiographic studies of mouse thymic blast cells after H3 Tdr injection show that their fine nuclear structure is related to their position in the cell cycle. The variations in the composition of the subcapsular blast cell population during radiation-induced leukemogenesis indicate kinetic changes in thymic lymphopoiesis, which are probably due to the oncogenic process.

Animals↗

[Influence of thymectomy on the lymphoid regeneration of hematopoietic bone marrow after sublethal irradiation].

In C57BL mice, bone marrow lymphoid regeneration after a sublethal irradiation is modified by a graft of normal marrow cells. This effect is suppressed in thymectomized mice since a lymphoid peak is observed after a 350 R irradiation; its composition is heterogeneous: small lymphocytes, lymphoblasts and peculier cells named "X cells". The same phenomenon is observed in mice where all the thymocytes and thymus derived and peripheral lymphocytes are destroyed. These results exclude that bone marrow lymphoid regeneration after irradiation is due to a migration of lymphoid cells of thymic origin to the marrow. They could be explained by the effect of a humoral thymic factor on marrow lymphopoiesis.

Animals↗