Antibody production in NP and tonsil. A. Tissue explants
from NP or tonsil were cultured in vitro for 4 days, and total
antibody production was measured from the culture supernatants. NP produced
significantly higher levels of all antibody isotypes compared to tonsil.
B. The frequency of antibody-secreting cells was determined by
ELISpot assays. Representative triplicate ELISpot wells from NP are shown;
arrows in the IgE wells indicate representative positive spots. NP contained
significantly elevated frequencies of IgG-, IgA-, and IgE-secreting cells
compared to tonsil. C. Expression of AID and germline transcripts
was measured using qRT-PCR. AID expression was highest in tonsil, but detectible
in NP. Expression of germline transcripts for IgE, IgG1,
IgG4, IgA1 and IgA2 was detectible in NP.
Data represent mean ± SEM; *p<0.05, **p<0.01;
***p<0.001 by Mann-Whiney U test.