title: Thymus-dependent and thymus-independent subpopulations of intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes: a granular subpopulation of probable bone marrow origin and relationship to mucosal mast cells.
abstract: Intraepithelial lymphocytes have been examined histochemically in the small intestines of normal rats and mice and in thymus-deficient animals (B rats and nude mice). It is concluded that these cells are heterogeneous, consisting of at least two subpopulations. One population contains granules, is thymus-independent, and is probably bone-marrow-derived. The other population does not contain granules and appears to be thymus-dependent. It is suggested that the granular cell, which may be a precursor of mucosal mast cells, is more properly a previously unrecognized nonlymphoid leukocyte of bone marrow origin.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000166:cytology; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D005260:Female; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology; D007583:Jejunum / Q000166:cytology*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification*; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D051381:Rats; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology*