Abstract
IN spite of the attention paid to the relationship between myasthenia gravis and the thymus, little work has been done on the thymus in muscular dystrophy. Walker1 found that mouse dystrophy was not alleviated by neonatal thymectomy and Matheson2 provided evidence against the idea that muscular dystrophy might be a lymphocytemediated autoimmune disease. It therefore seems unlikely that overactivity of lymphoid function of the thymus has any role in muscular dystrophy: the possible role of a thymic deficiency has not been considered. Our interest was aroused when we noticed that in certain superficial ways dystrophic mice of the Bar Harbor 129 strain3–5 appear similar to mice which have been neonatally thymectomised. Their growth is stunted to a very variable degree, their coat quality is poor and they are liable to die suddenly for no very obvious reason. We now present evidence for an abnormality of thymus growth in these animals.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Walker, B. E., Tex. Rep. Biol. Med. 22, 640, (1964).
Matheson, D. W., J. neurol. Sci. 81, 133 (1974).
Michelson, A. M., Russell, E. S., and Harman, P. J., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 41, 1079 (1955).
Stevens, L. C., Russell, E. S., and Southard, J. L., Proc. Soc. exp. Biol. Med., 95, 161 (1957).
Harman, P. J., Tassoni, J. P., Curtis, R. L., and Hollinshead, M. B., in Muscular Dystrophy in Man and Animals (edited by Bourne, G. H., and Golarz, N.), 407 (Basel, and New York. 1963).
Fabris, N., Pierpaoli, W., and Sorkin, E., Clin. exp. Immun., 9, 209 (1971).
Fabris, N., Pierpaoli, W., and Sorkin, E., Clin. exp. Immun., 9, 227 (1971).
Fabris, N., Pierpaoli, W., and Sorkjn, E., in Hormones and the Immune Response (edited by Wolstenholme, G. E. W., and Knight, J.,), (Churchill, London, 1970).
McMurphy, J. P., and Malven, P. V., J. Endocrinol., 61, 211 (1974).
Livett, and de Kretser, Nature, 263, 682–684 (1976).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
KARMALI, R., HORROBIN, D. Abnormalities of thymus growth in dystrophic mice. Nature 263, 684–685 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/263684a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/263684a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.