Figure 1.

Telomere length in tonsil B cell subsets. (A) TRF blot of naive (N), GC (G), and memory (M) B cells from three tonsils. One microgram of digested genomic DNA from each sample was loaded in a 0.6% agarose gel and separated by electrophoresis. Hybridization was carried out in the dried gel with a ³²P-labeled (CCCTAA)₃ oligonucleotide at 43°C overnight. (B) Comparison of mean TRF length of naive, GC, and memory B cells from five patients. The mean TRF was calculated by converting the intensity of signals to molecular size based on DNA molecular weight markers, using ImageQuant (software of PhosphorImager). Telomere size effect on the signal intensity was taken into consideration in calculation as previously described (17).