A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF GERMINAL CENTER - FOWLS AND MAMMALS

The mammalian germinal center is organized into a dark zone containing proliferating centroblasts and a light zone filled with nondividing B cells (called centrocytes), follicular dendritic cells and a few scat tered T cells. We clarified these two zones in the chicken germinal ce nter with immunohistology. Proliferating cells and immunoglobulin nega tive cells were detected in the circumference ring of the chicken germ inal center. The central part of the chicken germinal center contained B cells expressing immunoglobulin, follicular dendritic cells and a f ew T cells. Most of the B cells in the central part of the chicken ger minal center did not enter into the S phase. These results suggest tha t the chicken germinal center is also organized into the dark zone (th e circumference ring of germinal center) and the light zone (the centr al part of germinal center). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.