The Journal of immunology : official journal of the American Association of Immunologists
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Because the gut-associated lymphoreticular tissue (GALT), e.g., Peyer's patches (PP), of X-linked immunodeficient (xid) mice possesses a subpopulation of mature B cells, we have characterized the ability of xid mice to respond to the thymic-dependent antigen sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) given by the oral route. Gastric intubation of SRBC to xid (CBA/N X DBA/2) F1 male or CBA/N mice, followed by the in vitro culture of dissociated PP cells with SRBC, resulted in IgM, IgG1, IgG2, and high IgA anti-SRBC plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses. The addition of unprimed PP but not splenic T cells to splenic xid B cell cultures resulted in IgM anti-SRBC PFC responses, suggesting the importance of GALT T cells for support of the immune responses to SRBC by splenic B cells from xid mice. ⋯ Salivary and serum IgA antibodies were also detected in these xid mice. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the anti-SRBC response in xid mice was lower than that seen in similarly treated normal mice. These studies indicate that the GALT of both xid and normal mice possess unique populations of T cells that support in vitro responses in xid B cell cultures from either the spleen or the PP, which direct the mature B cell populations present toward IgA isotype-specific responses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)