Implantation of thymic epithelial grafts into the anterior chamber of the murine eye: an experimental model for analyzing T-cell ontogeny

The object of this investigation was to establish whether the intracameral implantation of thymic epithelial grafts could be utilized as a valid in vivo experimental model for probing the possible mechanisms whereby the sympathetic innervation of the thymus influences thymocyte dynamics. Our findings suggest that deoxyguanosine-treated thymic epithelial grafts, implanted into the anterior chamber of the eye, were receptive to host lymphoid progenitor cells, capable of supporting T-lymphocyte maturational processes, and were able to export mature T cells to the secondary lymphoid organs of a previously T-cell deficient host. In addition, we verified that the number of lymphoid cells recovered from a thymic epithelial graft which had been implanted into an anterior chamber devoid of sympathetic nerve input was generally greater than the number of lymphoid cells recovered from a matched graft which had been implanted into an anterior chamber which had an intact sympathetic nerve supply. Based on the results of these studies, investigative efforts can now be directed at studying a number of important aspects associated with the relationship between T lymphocyte ontogeny and the sympathetic nervous system.