Serum protein changes associated with the atrophy of lymphoid organs in a mouse mutation

"Lethargic" is a neurological mutation of the mouse. In addition to neurological abnormalities, affected mice are also known to have disorders in the growth of lymphoid organs and to be immunodeficient. To determine if these deficiencies in the immunolymphoid system coincide with changes in the serum protein profile, electrophoretic analysis using polyacrylamide gels was employed to study mouse serum. Results of this study reveal marked differences in the profiles of serum proteins between young "lethargic" and normal mice; furthermore, the growth of lymphoid organs shows a close relationship with the quantitative differences of a specific protein fraction in the serum.