Thymus-Derived Lymphocytes: Humoral and Cellular Reactions Distinguished by Hydrocortisone
Shraga Segal 1,
Irun R. Cohen 1, and
Michael Feldman 1
1 Department of Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Lymphocytes derived from the thymus (T cells) take part in the induction of humoral antibody and also effect cell-mediated graft-versus-host reactions. Preliminary treatment of mice with hydrocortisone caused an inhibition of T-cell function in humoral immunity, while enhancing the graft-versus-host reactivity of the same population of spleen cells. This suggests that different types of T cells participate in cellular and humoral immune reactions.