MIGRATION OF CELLS WITH IMMUNOGLOBULIN C-MYC RECOMBINATIONS IN LYMPHOID-TISSUES OF MICE/

Recombinations between c-myc and immunoglobulin (Ig) sequences that ty pically occur in pristane-induced mouse plasmacytomas were detected in secondary lymphoid tissues from normal mice, chiefly in the gut-assoc iated lymphoid tissue. Based on the analysis of recombination sequence s as clonotypic markers, migration of c-myc recombination-positive cel ls was observed between Peyer's patches and into the intestine. Treatm ent of plasmacytoma-susceptible BALB/cAn mice with pristane induced pr oliferation and migration of these cells into mesenteric lymph node, s pleen, and oil granuloma within 7 days. Plasmacytoma-resistant strains of mice (DBA/2N, C3H/HeJ, C57BL/6) differed in that (1) they harbored fewer clones (Ig/c-myc recombinations were detected in 33% of resista nt mice versus 91% of BALB/cAn mice after pristane treatment); (2) Ig/ c-myc-positive cells were rarely detected in the oil granuloma, and (3 ) c-myc recombined predominantly with the Ig alpha locus in BALB/cAn m ice (72%), but with the Ig mu locus in DBA/2N and in C57BL/6 (67%). Th e results demonstrate that normal mice generate a large number of lymp hocytes with aberrant c-myc in intestinal tissues without developing t umors.