Allogeneic Bone Marrow Chimerism in Germfree Mice. 1. Prevention of Spontaneous Leukemia in AKR Mice

Abstract

GF AKR (H^-2k) mice were administered 1000 R X-rays (whole-body) and 24 hr later they were injected iv with viable bone marrow cells from GF DBA/2 (H^-2d) mice. The chimeric GF AKR mice appeared healthy and did not develop spontaneous leukemia up to age 15 mo when the experiment was terminated. Conventional AKR mice with bone marrow cells from conventional DBA/2 mice died of GVH disease. Leukemia appeared spontaneously in conventional AKR mice transplanted with AKR bone marrow cells. Thus, leukemia was prevented in the GF AKR mice with allogeneic chimerism.