Abstract
This analysis of B cell development as a function of age reveals a relatively widespread distribution of progenitor B (pro-B), pre-B, and B cells in fetal tissues, and thus supports the idea of a multifocal origin of B lineage cells during embryonic development. From mid-gestation onward, the bone marrow is the major site of B cell generation in humans. A relatively constant ratio of bone marrow precursors to B cells of immature phenotype (CD24(high)CD10+CD20(low)IgD-) is maintained from mid-gestation through the eighth decade of life. The persistence of recombinase gene activity in pro-B cells further attests the sustained production of B cells in bone marrow. Interestingly, a subpopulation of B cells with mature phenotype (CD24(low)CD10-CD20(high)IgD+) accumulates in the bone marrow during childhood, and this becomes the predominant B cell subpopulation in adult bone marrow. This mature population of bone marrow B cells may represent a subpopulation of recirculating B cells that have undergone selection in the periphery.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 866-872 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Immunology |
Volume | 156 |
Issue number | 2 |
State | Published - Jan 15 1996 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology