Concepedia

IMMUNOGLOBULINS ON THE SURFACE OF LYMPHOCYTES

Enrique Rabellino, S M Colón, Howard M. Grey, Emil R. Unanue

The Journal of Experimental Medicine · 1971 · 659 citations · 11 references

Open access

TL;DR

The distribution and quantity of surface immunoglobulins on lymphocytes were examined using immunofluorescence and a quantitative radio‑immunoassay. Surface immunoglobulins were detected on about 45 % of spleen and marrow lymphocytes and 7–14 % of lymphocytes from lymph nodes, peripheral blood, and peritoneal exudate, were absent in thymic lymphocytes, and in the spleen appeared in the order γG2 > γG1 > M > γA > γG3; they could be largely removed by brief trypsin treatment, numbering 50,000–150,000 molecules per cell, suggesting they are cell‑derived rather than cytophilic antibodies.

Abstract

The distribution, and quantity of immunoglobulins on the surface of lymphocytes has been studied by means of immunofluorescence and a quantitative radio-immunoassay. Surface immunoglobulins were found on approximately 45% of spleen and marrow lymphocytes and 7-14% of lymphocytes from lymph nodes, peripheral blood, and peritoneal exudate. Thymic lymphocytes contained undetectable amounts of immunoglobulin. In the spleen the different immunoglobulins were present in the following order: gammaG2 > gammaG1 > M > gammaA > gammaG3. The surface immunoglobulin was largely removable by brief treatment with trypsin. Quantitative analysis indicated that 50,000-150,000 molecules of immunoglobulin were present on an individual cell. A variety of observations make it likely that this lymphocyte-associated immunoglobulin. is a product of the cell to which it is attached rather than a form of cytophilic antibody.