Immunohistochemical staining of tissue sections prepared from gonads and gonad-associated tissues obtained from adult chickens was performed in order to assess the possibility that these tissues may be sites of enrichment with IgM-containing cells in various B lineages. Evidence is presented which suggests that IgM-containing B lineage cells are present in 1) the ovarian stroma and subcapsular areas of the ovary and 2) the interstitium and subcapsular areas of the epididymis of the testes. These represent new sites reported for B lineage cells in adult chickens. Some questions relevant to the physiologic, ontogenetic, and phylogenetic implications of these observations relative to vertebrate hematolymphopoietic processes are included.
We have employed histological and immunofluorescent staining procedures in order to characterize the distribution of mu + B lineage cells in tissue sections prepared from developing chicken embryo urogenital tissues (UGTs) between 14 and 21 days of incubation. B lineage cells were observed in tissue sections prepared from developing UGTs, especially the mesonephros and its associated tissue, throughout the sample period. The highest densities of mu + B lineage cells were observed in tissue sections prepared from 18 day embryos. The mu + UGT cells were distributed singly and in clusters in subcapsular regions and within the peritubular interstitium of the mesonephros. These observations (1) are consistent with those which suggest nonbursal site(s) for origin of cells in B lineage, (2) may help account for the varying effects of embryonic caudectomy performed between the second and third days of incubation and surgical bursectomy performed close to hatching, (3) may help provide new insights on the effects of sex hormones on B cell development, and (4) suggest fundamental ontogenetic and phylogenetic similarities between developing vertebrate immune systems.
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