Differential migration of in vivo primed B and T lymphocytes to lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs

Our study describes tissue-specific migration of T and B cells during a loc alized anti-viral immune response. After mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) i njection, B. lymphocytes of the draining lymph node become infected and pre sent a retroviral superantigen to CD4(+) T lymphocytes. Infected B cells re ceive superantigen-mediated help in a fashion comparable to classical immun e responses. To investigate the fate of T and B lymphocytes that had intera cted via cognate help in the same peripheral lymph node microenvironment we adoptively transferred them into naive recipients. Here we show that MMTV- infected B cells and superantigen-stimulated T cells were programmed to mig rate to distinct sites of the body. Plasmablasts but not T cells migrated t o the mammary gland and activated alpha4 beta1 integrins were found to have a crucial role in the migration to the mammary gland. In contrast, T cells had a much higher affinity for secondary lymphoid organs and large intesti ne. This demonstrates that upon antigen-driven B and T lymphocyte interacti on in the local draining lymph node a subset-specific homing program for B and T lymphocytes is induced.