Surface and Intracellular Markers of Mouse Mesenteric and Peripheral Lymph Node and Peyer's Patch Cells

Abstract

Abstract The incidence of surface and internal T and B cell markers in mouse mesenteric and peripheral node and Peyer's patch lymphocytes is unique to each population. BALB/c Peyer's patches show a high frequency of cells with complement receptors, surface and internal κ-chain determinants, and surface and internal α-chain determinants, and a low frequency of Thy-1-positive cells. Peripheral and mesenteric lymph nodes show an intermediate frequency of cells with complement receptors, external and internal κ-chains, and Thy-1 antigen. Mesenteric node cells can be distinguished from peripheral node cells by a higher frequency of cells with µ-chain on their surface, and by the presence, in a frequency comparable to that of Peyer's patch cells, of cells with surface and internal α-chains. Discrepancies, particularly marked for the internal determinants of Peyer's patch lymphocytes, between the sum of frequencies for µ, γ, and α heavy chains vs the incidence of κ-determinants, suggest either unbalanced synthesis of heavy and light chains, or a large proportion of cells containing an unidentified immunoglobulin class.