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THE FUNCTIONS OF THE THYMUS SYSTEM AND THE BURSA
SYSTEM IN THE CHICKEN*
Bx MAX D. COOPER,::I: M.D., RAYMOND D. A. PETERSON,? M.D.,
MARY ANN SOUTH,:~ M.D., Am~ ROBERT A. GOOD,[[ M.D.
(Front the Pediatric, Researck Laboratories of the Variety Club Heart
Hospital, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis)
Pr~Txs 11 ~o 14
(Received for publication 20 August 1955)
In 1956 Glick et al. (1) described the role of the bursa of Fabricius, a hindgut lymphoid organ, in the development of humoral immunity in the chicken. With the subsequent definition of the pivotal role of the mammalian thymus in developmental immunobiology (2-8), the chicken aroused the interest of many investigators because it has a thymus as well as a bursa. A functional dissociation of the chicken immune system based on differences in thymic and bursal influences was originally suggested by Warner et al. (9-11). Although experimental support for this hypothesis was forthcoming from several laboratories (12-17), conflicting data were obtained in some of the studies of surgically and hormonally bursectomized and thymectomized animals. Basically unresolved were the details of the functional separation, the morphologic basis for the
separation, and the degree of parallel, if any, of the development, organization, and function of the avian and mammalian lymphoid systems.
Because the lymphoid development of the chicken spleen and other peripheral lymphoid tissue seemed to be well underway at hatching, we felt that destruction of the peripheral lymphoid components combined with surgical removal of the thymus or bursa in the immediate posthatching period might provide less ambiguous models of immunologic deficiency. This effect was achieved, and on the basis of the initial studies with these models we concluded that the chicken lymphoid system is composed of two major cell systems (18, 19). The thymus is necessary for the development of a widespread cell population which consists mainly of small lymphocytes. The bursa of Fabricius appears to be the site of origin for a cell system represented in peripheral tissues by larger lymphocytes as seen in germinal centers and by plasma cells.
Aided by grants from the National Foundation, American Cancer Society, United States Public Health Service (HE-02085, NB-02042, and AI-00798) and American Heart Association.
Postdoctoral Fellow, United States Public Health Service.
? Established Investigator, American Heart Association.
[[ American Legion Memorial Heart Research Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology.
75
http://www.jem.org/cgi/reprint/123/1/75
SYSTEM IN THE CHICKEN*
Bx MAX D. COOPER,::I: M.D., RAYMOND D. A. PETERSON,? M.D.,
MARY ANN SOUTH,:~ M.D., Am~ ROBERT A. GOOD,[[ M.D.
(Front the Pediatric, Researck Laboratories of the Variety Club Heart
Hospital, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis)
Pr~Txs 11 ~o 14
(Received for publication 20 August 1955)
In 1956 Glick et al. (1) described the role of the bursa of Fabricius, a hindgut lymphoid organ, in the development of humoral immunity in the chicken. With the subsequent definition of the pivotal role of the mammalian thymus in developmental immunobiology (2-8), the chicken aroused the interest of many investigators because it has a thymus as well as a bursa. A functional dissociation of the chicken immune system based on differences in thymic and bursal influences was originally suggested by Warner et al. (9-11). Although experimental support for this hypothesis was forthcoming from several laboratories (12-17), conflicting data were obtained in some of the studies of surgically and hormonally bursectomized and thymectomized animals. Basically unresolved were the details of the functional separation, the morphologic basis for the
separation, and the degree of parallel, if any, of the development, organization, and function of the avian and mammalian lymphoid systems.
Because the lymphoid development of the chicken spleen and other peripheral lymphoid tissue seemed to be well underway at hatching, we felt that destruction of the peripheral lymphoid components combined with surgical removal of the thymus or bursa in the immediate posthatching period might provide less ambiguous models of immunologic deficiency. This effect was achieved, and on the basis of the initial studies with these models we concluded that the chicken lymphoid system is composed of two major cell systems (18, 19). The thymus is necessary for the development of a widespread cell population which consists mainly of small lymphocytes. The bursa of Fabricius appears to be the site of origin for a cell system represented in peripheral tissues by larger lymphocytes as seen in germinal centers and by plasma cells.
Aided by grants from the National Foundation, American Cancer Society, United States Public Health Service (HE-02085, NB-02042, and AI-00798) and American Heart Association.
Postdoctoral Fellow, United States Public Health Service.
? Established Investigator, American Heart Association.
[[ American Legion Memorial Heart Research Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology.
75
http://www.jem.org/cgi/reprint/123/1/75