Primary sity immune response in popliteal lymph nodes and spleen of mice after subcutaneous immunization with thymus‐dependent or thymus‐independent (type 1 and 2) antigens

Abstract

Mice were immunized subcutaneously with thymus-independent (TI)-type 1 antigen trinitrophenylated lipopolysacccgaride (TNP-LPS), TI-type 2 antigen TNP-Ficoll or thymus-dependnt (TD) antien TNP-keyhole limpet haenicyanin (TNP-KLH) in order to study the primary in situ immune response in popliteal lymph nodes (PLN) and spleen. The spleen responded more rapidly in developin specific antibody-forming cells (AFC) than the lymph nodes did, in spite of the fact that antigens reach the spleen only after pasing several lymplh several lymph node stations. This difference between lymph nodes and spleen in development AFC was partivularly significant with respect to the responses to the responses to TI (both type 1 and type 2) antigens. No differences in the distribyution of specific AFC in PLN and spleen were oseved after immunization with TI and TD antigens. Results are discussed with respect to the relative contributions of lymph nodes and spleen to immune responses to antigens injected subcutaneously.