Abstract
THERE is good evidence that in birds a haemopoietic stem cells of yolk sac origin1,2 differentiate into immunoglobulin-bearing lymphocytes in the bursa of Fabricius3. The differentiated lymphocytes then migrate to the peripheral lymphoid tissues4,5, where they constitute the bursa-derived B lymphocyte population. The primary site(s) of B lymphocyte development in mammals, however, has remained a mystery, with gastrointestinal associated lymphoid tissues6 (including appendix7, tonsils8 and Peyer's patches9) and haemopoietic tissues10–12 generally considered the main candidates for mammalian ‘bursa equivalent’. Here we report the development of IgM, IgG and probably IgA-bearing lymphocytes in organ cultures of mouse foetal liver removed at 14 d gestation, a time well before immunoglobulin-bearing cells or cells of lymphoid morphology could be detected in the intact animal. These studies indicate that foetal liver is a bursa equivalent in mice and that gastrointestinal lymphoid tissues are not a sine qua non for the initial development of B cells. In addition, they provide evidence that IgG and probablv IgA-bearing B lymphocytes can develop in the absence of T lymphocytes.
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OWEN, J., Cooper, M. & RAFF, M. In vitro generation of B lymphocytes in mouse foetal liver, a mammalian ‘bursa equivalent’. Nature 249, 361–363 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/249361a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/249361a0
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