The Number of Antibody-Producing Cells in the Parathymic Lymph Nodes and the Spleen Following Intraperitoneal Injection of Antigen

Abstract

Summary Following i.p. injection of antigen in the rat, the parathymic lymph nodes are α major, if not the major, site of antibody-producing cells. Though they contain only one-tenth the number of nucleated cells, these nodes have essentially as many antibody-forming cells as does the entire spleen. Technical limitations that occur when the spleen is employed for such studies are also minimized or absent when the PLN are used to determine the number of PFC by the modified Cunningham technique. Thus, the parathymic lymph nodes should receive increased attention in investigating the cellular kinetics of the immune response.