Expression of lymphocyte antigenic determinants in developing gut-associated lymphoid tissue of the sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (L.)

Abstract

The monoclonal antibodies DLT15 and DLIg3, which recognize antigenic determinants expressed by T cells and Ig-bearing cells, respectively, allowed the development of gut-associated lymphoid tissue of the teleost fish Dicentrarchus labrax (L.) to be studied. DLT15-immunoreactive cells were first detected in the epithelium of the stomach and intestine at day 30 post-hatching of fish maintained at 16 degrees C. At that age, positive cells were found only in the thymus. Between day 44 and day 81 post-hatching, DLT15-immunoreactive cells became numerous, both in and under the gut epithelium. A gradient in the number of lymphocytes was present, concentrating them towards the anus. Until day 81 post-hatching, DLIg3-immunoreactive cells were not found in the gut, although they were present in the kidney, spleen and thymus earlier. Infrequent Ig-bearing cells were found in the gut mucosa of -year-old sea bass. This study showed that the gut-associated lymphoid tissue developed earlier than other lymphoid compartments. It also provided evidence of the predominance of T cells in the gut immune system of the sea bass.

The ontogeny of mucosal immune cells in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

“…Subsequently, B cells were situated in intestine and gills at 5-6 wpf, suggesting B cells are now mature because this is also the first appearance of B cells outside kidney and spleen. The 'lag' period between appearance of B cells in head kidney and spleen compared to mucosal organs corresponds with data obtained for sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax; Picchietti et al 1997) and spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor; Grontvedt and Espelid 2003). The appearance of 'mature' B cells in peripheral organs (intestine and gills) at 5-6 wpf corresponds to the appearance of plasma cells (KoumansVan Diepen et al 1994), and the mounting of antibody responses against Aeromonas salmonicida (Mughal and Manning 1985).…”

Distribution of IgM, IgD and IgZ in mandarin fish, Siniperca chuatsi lymphoid tissues and their transcriptional changes after Flavobacterium columnare stimulation

“…In mandarin fish these cells were located abundantly in both submucosa and lamina propria of posterior intestine and sometimes nearing the goblet cells. In spotted wolffish and Atlantic cod positively stained cells distributed mainly in the lamina propria of both anterior and posterior intestine, while in Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) (Grove et al, 2006) and sea bass (Picchietti et al, 1997), IgM + cells were more common in the epithelium than lamina propria.…”

“…With respect to the expression of Igs in intestine, variable observations were reported. In sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) Ig-bearing cells were infrequently detected using monoclonal antibodies by flow cytometry, so it was suggested that cell-mediated immune responses protect the intestinal mucosa against the penetration of pathogens in the intestine (Picchietti et al, 1997). Researches in spotted wolffish and Atlantic cod (Schrøder et al, 1998) indicated that humoral immunity contributes significantly to the immune response in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) system.…”

Identification and characterization of a novel intraepithelial lymphoid tissue in the gills of Atlantic salmon

“…In mammalian and fish mucosal membranes, intraepithelial leukocytes mainly consist of T cells and some macrophages (Picchietti et al 1997;Zapata & Amemiya, 2000;Huttenhuis et al 2006;Romano et al 2007). In addition, dendritic cells are able to send cytoplasmic protrusions through the epithelium towards the intestinal lumen for antigen recognition and sampling (Rescigno et al 2001).…”