| First Author | Grusby MJ | Year | 1993 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 90 |
| Issue | 9 | Pages | 3913-7 |
| PubMed ID | 8483910 | Mgi Jnum | J:4743 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:53226 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.90.9.3913 |
| Citation | Grusby MJ, et al. (1993) Mice lacking major histocompatibility complex class I and class II molecules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 90(9):3913-7 |
| abstractText | Mice lacking major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens were generated by mating beta 2-microglobulin-deficient, and therefore class I-deficient, animals with MHC class II-deficient animals. When housed under sterile conditions, the resulting MHC-deficient mice appear healthy, survive for many months, and breed successfully. Phenotypically, MHC-deficient mice are depleted of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in peripheral lymphoid organs due to a lack of appropriate restricting elements. In contrast, the B-cell compartment of these animals appears intact, and MHC-deficient mice can mount specific antibody responses when challenged with a T-independent antigen. Spleen cells from MHC-deficient animals are poor stimulators and responders in a mixed lymphocyte reaction. Despite their relatively weak cellular immune responses in vitro, MHC-deficient mice reject allogeneic skin grafts with little delay, and grafts from MHC-deficient animals are rapidly rejected by normal allogeneic recipients. Taken together, these results emphasize the plasticity of the immune system and suggest that MHC-deficient mice may be useful for examining compensatory mechanisms in severely immunocompromised animals. |
