Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Immunology logoLink to Immunology
. 1986 May;58(1):43–49.

The bursal microenvironment: phenotypic characterization of the epithelial component of the bursa of Fabricius with the use of monoclonal antibodies.

E Houssaint, E Diez, M M Hallet
PMCID: PMC1452630  PMID: 2423437

Abstract

Monoclonal antibodies were raised against newborn chick bursa of Fabricius, and here we describe two antibodies, BEP-1 and BEP-2, which react selectively with the epithelial component of the bursa of Fabricius. In previous studies, using quail chick chimeric bursas, we have demonstrated that the epithelium of the bursal rudiment, presumably of endodermal origin, gives rise to the epithelium lining the bursal lumen, the basement membrane-associated epithelium and the network of reticular cells of the medulla, while the interfollicular connective cells are derived from the mesoderm. When tested in indirect immunofluorescence assay on bursa tissue sections or cell suspensions, BEP-1 reacts with a surface antigen present on all the epithelial cells of the bursa and could be used as a marker for this cell lineage. BEP-2 binds to an intracytoplasmic antigen that is present in about 5% of cells, representing the epithelial cells, and which is excreted in the medulla. BEP-2 also reacts with the epithelial cells of the thymic medulla and with the mucin-secreting goblet cells of the intestinal villi. A rabbit antiserum raised against human cytokeratin gives a different pattern of reactivity on bursal tissue compared to BEP-1 and BEP-2, tentatively suggesting that these two antibodies do not bind to keratin-like molecules. During ontogeny, BEP-1 reactivity appears in bursal epithelium from the early stages of bursal ontogeny (8 days). BEP-2 reactivity is detected around hatching time. BEP-1 and BEP-2 do not show any antigenic heterogeneity among the epithelial cells of the bursa.

Full text

PDF
43

Images in this article

45Figure 1
on p.45
46Figure 2
on p.46
47Figure 3
on p.47

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baba T., Okuno Y. Effect of bursa Fabricius extracts on antibody production in bursectomized or bursal cell autografted chickens. Immunology. 1976 Oct;31(4):533–539. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bockman D. E., Cooper M. D. Pinocytosis by epithelium associated with lymphoid follicles in the bursa of Fabricius, appendix, and Peyer's patches. An electron microscopic study. Am J Anat. 1973 Apr;136(4):455–477. doi: 10.1002/aja.1001360406. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Boyd R. L., Ward H. A. Lymphoid antigenic determinants of the chicken: ontogeny of bursa-dependent lymphoid tissue. Dev Comp Immunol. 1984 Winter;8(1):149–167. doi: 10.1016/0145-305x(84)90019-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Boyd R. L., Ward H. A., Muller H. K. Antiserum specific for reticulin of the bursa of fabricius. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1976;50(1):129–132. doi: 10.1159/000231489. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Boyd R. L., Ward H. A., Muller H. K. Bursal and thymic reticular epithelial cells in the chicken: preparation of in vitro monolayer cultures. J Reticuloendothel Soc. 1983 Nov;34(5):371–382. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Brand A., Gilmour D. G., Goldstein G. Lymphocyte-differentiating hormone of bursa of fabricius. Science. 1976 Jul 23;193(4250):319–321. doi: 10.1126/science.180600. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Cordier A. C., Haumont S. M. Development of thymus, parathyroids, and ultimo-branchial bodies in NMRI and nude mice. Am J Anat. 1980 Mar;157(3):227–263. doi: 10.1002/aja.1001570303. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Drews U. Cholinesterase in embryonic development. Prog Histochem Cytochem. 1975;7(3):1–52. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Goldstein A. L., Low T. L., Thurman G. B., Zatz M. M., Hall N., Chen J., Hu S. K., Naylor P. B., McClure J. E. Current status of thymosin and other hormones of the thymus gland. Recent Prog Horm Res. 1981;37:369–415. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-571137-1.50012-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Haynes B. F., Scearce R. M., Lobach D. F., Hensley L. L. Phenotypic characterization and ontogeny of mesodermal-derived and endocrine epithelial components of the human thymic microenvironment. J Exp Med. 1984 Apr 1;159(4):1149–1168. doi: 10.1084/jem.159.4.1149. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Heller D. E., Friedman A. R. The effect of crude bursa of Fabricius extracts on the humoral immune response and its recovery in bursectomized chickens. Dev Comp Immunol. 1979 Fall;3(4):667–681. doi: 10.1016/s0145-305x(79)80061-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Houssaint E., Diez E., Jotereau F. V. Tissue distribution and ontogenic appearance of a chicken T lymphocyte differentiation marker. Eur J Immunol. 1985 Mar;15(3):305–308. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830150319. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Johnson G. D., Davidson R. S., McNamee K. C., Russell G., Goodwin D., Holborow E. J. Fading of immunofluorescence during microscopy: a study of the phenomenon and its remedy. J Immunol Methods. 1982 Dec 17;55(2):231–242. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(82)90035-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kingston R., Jenkinson E. J., Owen J. J. Characterization of stromal cell populations in the developing thymus of normal and nude mice. Eur J Immunol. 1984 Nov;14(11):1052–1056. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830141117. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Le Douarin N. M., Houssaint E., Jotereau F. V., Belo M. Origin of hemopoietic stem cells in embryonic bursa of Fabricius and bone marrow studied through interspecific chimeras. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Jul;72(7):2701–2705. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.7.2701. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Le Douarin N. M., Michel G., Baulieu E. E. Studies of testosterone-induced involution of the bursa of Fabricius. Dev Biol. 1980 Mar 15;75(2):288–302. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(80)90164-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. McFarland E. J., Scearce R. M., Haynes B. F. The human thymic microenvironment: cortical thymic epithelium is an antigenically distinct region of the thymic microenvironment. J Immunol. 1984 Sep;133(3):1241–1249. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Moore M. A., Owen J. J. Experimental studies on the development of the bursa of Fabricius. Dev Biol. 1966 Aug;14(1):40–51. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(66)90004-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Naukkarinen A., Arstila A. U., Sorvari T. E. Morphological and functional differentiation of the surface epithelium of the bursa Fabricii in chicken. Anat Rec. 1978 Aug;191(4):415–432. doi: 10.1002/ar.1091910403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Ruuskanen O., Toivanen A., Raekallio J. Histochemical characterization of chicken lymphoid tissues. Dev Comp Immunol. 1977 Jul;1(3):231–240. doi: 10.1016/s0145-305x(77)80032-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Schmitt D., Monier J. C., Dardenne M., Pleau J. M., Deschaux P., Bach J. F. Cytoplasmic localization of FTS (facteur thymique sérique) in thymic epithelial cells. An immunoelectronmicroscopical study. Thymus. 1980 Dec;2(3):177–186. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Stutman O. Intrathymic and extrathymic T cell maturation. Immunol Rev. 1978;42:138–184. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1978.tb00261.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Toivanen P., Toivanen A. Bursal and postbursal stem cells in chicken. Functional characteristics. Eur J Immunol. 1973 Sep;3(9):585–595. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830030912. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. WARNER N. L., SZENBERG A., BURNET F. M. The immunological role of different lymphoid organs in the chicken. I. Dissociation of immunological responsiveness. Aust J Exp Biol Med Sci. 1962 Oct;40:373–387. doi: 10.1038/icb.1962.42. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. de Maagd R. A., MacKenzie W. A., Schuurman H. J., Ritter M. A., Price K. M., Broekhuizen R., Kater L. The human thymus microenvironment: heterogeneity detected by monoclonal anti-epithelial cell antibodies. Immunology. 1985 Apr;54(4):745–754. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES