Immunoglobulin-bearing lymphocytes of the chicken. I. Heavy chain immunoglobulin commitment and organ distribution.
When purified anti-immunoglobulin light chain antibodies were used in indirect immunofluorescence or labeled with 125I for autoradiographic staining, a similar percentage of Ig-bearing lymphocytes were detected by both techniques in lymphoid cell suspensions from the thymus or blood of 8-14-week-old chickens. However, a larger proportion of Ig positive lymphocytes were detected in suspensions of bursal cells by the more sensitive autoradiographic method, suggesting a lower surface density of Ig: perhaps on newly differentiated stem cells. In thymus and spleen suspensions, the proportions of Ig positive lymphocytes carrying mu and gamma-chains were roughly equal, whereas in the B cell populations of the bursa and blood, cells carrying surface gamma-chains predominated. IgA-bearing lymphocytes were only a minor population (< 5%) in lymphocyte suspensions prepared from the thymus, bursa, blood and spleen of adult chickens, but formed almost 50% of the Ig-bearing lymphocytes in the caecal tonsils.
Hudson
L
L
Department of Immunology, Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London.
D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000378:metabolism*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains