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In interleukin‐7‐transgenic mice, increasing B lymphopoiesis increases follicular but not marginal zone B cell numbers
Author(s) -
Ceredig Rhodri,
Bosco Nabil,
Maye Patrice N.,
Andersson Jan,
Rolink Antonius
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
european journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1521-4141
pISSN - 0014-2980
DOI - 10.1002/eji.200324134
Subject(s) - marginal zone , lymphopoiesis , biology , spleen , b cell , bone marrow , germinal center , immunology , transgene , progenitor cell , haematopoiesis , genetically modified mouse , microbiology and biotechnology , stem cell , antibody , biochemistry , gene
Abstract Follicular and marginal zone B cells constitute the vast majority of mature B cells in the adult spleen. The inter‐relationships between these two functionally and phenotypically distinct subpopulations of B cells remain unclear. In situations of decreased bone marrow B lymphopoiesis, the proportion of spleen marginal zone B cells increases, but the consequence of increasing B lymphopoiesis on marginal zone B cells has not been investigated. Using interleukin‐7‐transgenic mice, in which B lymphopoiesis is significantly increased, we show that the number of follicular B cells increased about fivefold but the number of marginal zone B cells decreased. Functional and phenotypic analysis, including in vivo bromodeoxyuridine labeling experiments, showed that marginal zoneB cells in transgenic mice were indistinguishable from controls. Mixed radiation bone marrow chimeras showed that marginal zone B cells developed equally well from both normal and transgenic adult bone marrow B cell progenitors. Taken together, these results suggest that interleukin‐7 does not influence the lineage choice between follicular and marginal zone B cells and that the number of cells ineach compartment is independently regulated.