title: Immunobiology of chicken germinal center: I. Changes in surface Ig class expression in the chicken splenic germinal center after antigenic stimulation.
abstract: The germinal center (GC) develops after antigenic stimulation and is thought to occur at the site of various immune responses. We separated a single GC from chicken spleen after antigenic stimulation. Flow cytometric analysis of the cells derived from a single GC and RT-PCR analysis of Ig mRNA expression in GC was performed. Direct evidence indicates that: (1) there was a considerable difference in the cell population of each GC, (2) the ratio of CD3(+) cells in a GC remains constant at 10-20%, (3) the highest proportion of sIgY(+) cells in a GC occurs 1 week after the time of highest proportion of sIgM(+) cells, and (4) RT-PCR analysis was used to detect IgY mRNA expression in a GC. The continuous existence of CD3(+) cells, the alterations in sIgM(+) and sIgY(+) cell ratios, and the expression of IgY mRNA strongly suggest that Ig class switching occurs in the GC during an immune response.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunobiology, Department of Molecular and Applied Bioscience, Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8528, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kajiwara
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ekino
authors.forename: Yasuho
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taura
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirota
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Horiuchi
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Furusawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D018858:Germinal Center / Q000276:immunology*; D007114:Immunization; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000032:analysis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C016512:IgY; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell