Cell surface immunoglobulin. XIV. Synthesis, surface expression, and secretion of immunoglobulin by Peyer's patch cells in the mouse

Peyers patches (PP) have characteristics distinguishing them from both central and peripheral lymphoid tissues. In contrast to central lymphoid tissue, PP are antigen dependent for their development. They contain T as well as B cells and the mitotic rate of their cells is too low for them to be a major source of peripheral B cells during ontogeny. Nevertheless, PP also differ from typical peripheral lymphoid tissues in several respects: PP are adjacent to specialized portions of intestinal epithelium; they contain few plasma cells; they do not make antibody in vivo unless antigen is introduced directly into their parenchyma; and they are comparatively rich, in common with other gut associated lymphoid tissues, in lymphoid cells bearing surface IgA. Immunoglobulins produced by PP cells are of interest because of these unusual characteristics and because of the proposed role of the PP as a major source of precursors of IgA secreting plasma cells. PP are of additional interest because, by immunofluorescence, a large disparity exists between the frequency of PP cells bearing surface or intracellular light (L) chain and the sum of frequencies of cell bearing μ-, γ-, and α-chains. Recently the authors reported that an IgD like molecule (IGD) is the predominant cell surface Ig in lymph nodes and spleen of adult mice. They therefore examined PP cells to see whether the surface and intracellular heavy (H) chain deficits could be accounted for by the presence of the putative δ chain.