Composition of the lymphoid cell populations from omental milky spots during the immune response in C57BL/Ka mice.
The lymphoid cell composition of milky spots was analyzed in unprimed mice before and after i.p. immunization with sheep red blood cells. Milky spots contained surface immunoglobulin-positive B lymphocytes, and T cells of the helper and cytotoxic phenotype. After secondary antigen challenge the number of lymphocytes increased up to 40-fold, B and T cells were found to segregate into distinct areas in situ, and lymphocytes were found to associate with I-A-negative stromal cells in vivo. These findings qualify milky spots as a peripheral lymphoid organ exhibiting a remarkable change in number and composition of lymphocytes in response to a local antigen stimulus.
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification; D005260:Female; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009852:Omentum / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification