ISSN:
1432-0878
Keywords:
Spleen
;
Thymus dependent area
;
Periarteriolar lymphatic sheath (PALS)
;
Interdigitating cell (IDC)
;
T-lymphocyte
;
Electron microscopy
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Summary To study the submicroscopical morphology of the microenvironment for T-lymphocytes in the spleen, mice were lethally X-irradiated and injected intravenously with syngeneic thymocytes. 24 hours after cell transfer, small lymphocytes occurred in the thymus dependent area of the spleen: the periarteriolar lymphatic sheath (PALS). They localized preferentially around a special type of mononuclear phagocyte, the Interdigitating Cell (IDC), which is considered to be characteristic for thymus-dependent areas in peripheral lymphoid organs. A close cell contact between both cell types was observed: small lymphocytes protruded into the cytoplasm of the IDC by means of fingerlike protrusions. This type of cell contact seems to induce blast transformation of the lymphoid cells which resulted in the formation of medium sized T-cells. In a control experiment, spleen cells from thymectomized, X-irradiated and bone marrow reconstituted mice were injected intravenously into lethally X-irradiated recipients. These B-lymphocytes, however, were not found to be localized around IDC. They preferentially formed primary follicles at the periphery of lymphocyte-depleted thymus dependent areas.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00209049
