title: Distinct recirculating and non-recirculating B-lymphocyte pools in the peripheral blood are defined by coordinated expression of CD21 and L-selectin.
abstract: The continual recirculation of lymphocytes between the blood, tissues, and lymph is essential for the coordination and dissemination of immune responses. We have compared the functional and phenotypic properties of lymphocytes isolated from blood and lymph, the two major migratory populations. Lymph-borne lymphocytes migrated readily into the lymphatic recirculation pathway, but greater than one third of all peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were excluded from the lymphatic circuit and showed an enhanced migration to the spleen. Phenotypic analysis showed that most non-recirculating PBLs were B cells. The migration competence of B cells correlated with the surface expression of CD21 and L-selectin; recirculating B cells expressed both of these molecules, whereas non-recirculating B cells lacked both antigens. These results establish that blood contains distinct pools of lymphocytes that differ in their recirculation competence. Clearly, blood sampling is not an efficient method to directly measure the status of the recirculating immune system, and implies important constraints and restrictions in the interpretation of experimental or clinical data that include phenotypic and quantitative analyses of blood lymphocytes.
authors.affiliation: Basel Institute for Immunology, Basel, Switzerland. young@bii.ch
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Marston
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dessing
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dudler
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Hein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D019041:L-Selectin / Q000032:analysis*; D008196:Lymph / Q000166:cytology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d / Q000032:analysis*; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d; D019041:L-Selectin