Comparative histologic, histochemical, and histomorphometric studies of T and B cell areas in peripheral lymphoid organs of normal young adult BALB/C mice.
T cell areas can be distinguished from adjacent B cell compartments in routinely stained histologic sections of paraffin-embedded mouse lymph nodes and spleens by their comparatively loose texture. The reliability of this morphologic criterion for identifying T cell areas has been proven in comparative histologic, enzyme-histochemical, and immunohistochemical investigations. It is thus possible to determine the size of functionally different compartments in the lymph nodes and spleen of the mouse with sufficient accuracy by the use of conventional histologic techniques. According to our subsequent histomorphometrical studies in two groups of inbred mice matched with respect to age and strain, the proportions of B cell areas in the peripheral lymphoid organs varied significantly depending on environmental conditions, whereas the proportions of T cell areas were stable.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D013154:Spleen / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*