Human T cells in the SCID-hu mouse are phenotypically normal and functionally competent

SCID-hu mice are heterochimeric animals that are constructed by transplanting human fetal thymus (Thy), liver (Liv), and/or lymph nodes into congenitally immunodeficient C.B-17 scid/scid (SCID) mice. Sensitive and specific two-color flow cytometric assays were used to evaluate human lymphocytes from peripheral blood of SCID-hu mice. Kinetic studies presented in this report show long term T lymphopoiesis in SCID-hu mice. Approximately one-half of SCID-hu mice constructed with Thy and Liv tissue develop detectable levels of circulating human T cells by 4 mo after transplantation. The average level of circulating human cells in SCID-hu mice is generally less than 2% of the total lymphoid cells in the peripheral blood of these mice. Some SCID-hu mice with as high as 13% human lymphocytes, however, have been detected. Nearly all human cells in the peripheral blood of SCID-hu mice are CD3+ cells that express TCR-alpha beta. The percentages of gamma delta+, CD4+, CD8+, CD25+, CD69+, and Leu-8+ cells among CD45+ cells in SCID-hu blood are similar to the levels found in adult peripheral blood. On average, 74% of SCID-hu T cells express CD45RA and 18% express CD29. Functional studies demonstrate that cells from SCID-hu Thy/Liv grafts or human T cells from SCID-hu peripheral blood are functionally competent to respond to mitogens or allogeneic human cells in vitro. They are similar to fetal thymocytes or adult T cells, respectively, in these responses. These studies demonstrate that the SCID-hu mouse is a useful model for the analysis of human immune differentiation and function in vivo.