Fgm. Kroese et al., IDENTIFICATION AND KINETICS OF 2 RECENTLY BONE-MARROW-DERIVED B-CELL POPULATIONS IN PERIPHERAL LYMPHOID-TISSUES, Cellular immunology, 162(2), 1995, pp. 185-193
In rats, the glycoprotein Thy-1 is expressed on recently bone marrow (
BM)-generated B cells but not on mature recirculating follicular (RF)
B cells. Here we demonstrate that Thy-1(+) B cells consist of two phen
otypically distinct, but developmentally related, populations: a popul
ation of newly formed (NF) B cells (IgM(br)-IgD(du)) that give rise to
the second, less immature, Thy-1(+) population of so-called early rec
irculating follicular (ERF) B cells (Thy-1(+)IgM(du)IgD(br)) cells. Th
ese cells ultimately develop to RF-B cells (Thy-1(-)IgM(br)IgD(du)). K
inetic studies reveal that in absolute numbers per day most cells die
at the transition of NF-B cells in the BM and those in the periphery:
less cells die at later stages of B cell differentiation. Given the no
tion that this cell loss is not random, we speculate that NF-B cells a
nd ERF-B cells may represent crucial steps during peripheral B cell de
velopment and their selection. Identification of their unique phenotyp
e makes it possible to evaluate their roles in development of the anti
body repertoire. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.