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THE THYMUS AND IMMUNE FUNCTION

The role of the thymus in immune function can be studied in mice by examining the effects of neonatal thymectomy, a procedure in which the thymus is surgically removed from newborn mice. These thymectomized mice show a dramatic decrease in circulating lymphocytes of the T-cell lineage and an absence of cell-mediated immunity. Other evidence of the importance of the thymus comes from studies of a congenital birth defect in humans (DiGeorge’s syndrome)and in certain mice (nude mice)in which the thymus fails to develop. In both cases, there is an absence of circulating T cells and of cell-mediated immunity and an increase in infectious disease.

Aging is accompanied by a decline in thymic function. This decline may play some role in the decline in immune function during aging in humans and mice. The thymus reaches its maximal size at puberty and then atrophies, with a significant decrease in both cortical and medullary cells and an increase in the total fat content of the organ. Whereas the average weight of the thymus is 70 g in infants, its age-dependent involution leaves an organ with an average weight of only 3 g in the elderly (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Changes in the thymus with age. The thymus decreases in size and cellularity after puberty.

A number of experiments have been designed to look at the effect of age on the immune function of the thymus. In one experiment, the thymus from a 1-day-old or 33-monthold mouse was grafted into thymectomized adults. (For most laboratory mice, 33 months is very old.) Mice receiving the newborn thymus graft showed a significantly larger improvement in immune function than mice receiving the 33-month-old thymus.

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