Porcine thymus contains three independent populations of cells that have rearranged immunoglobulin heavy chain VDJH genes. The first population can be found exclusively in medulla and it consists of existing mature B cells and plasma cells. The second consists of developing B cells characterized by the presence of selected VDJH rearrangement, similar to B cell lymphogenesis in the bone marrow. The third population is entirely unaffected by selection mechanism for productive VDJH rearrangement and represents T lineage cells that rearrange immunoglobulin genes. Transcription of unselected VDJH repertoire is not allowed in T cells. Sequence analysis of unselected VDJH repertoire from T cells also revealed important consequences for B cell lymphogenesis and selection of B cell repertoire. As far as we know, this is the first evidence that some species completely rearrange VDJH genes in T cells. Our results also support the finding that B cells actively develop in the thymus.

Department of Microbiology The University of Iowa Iowa City IA USA

Laboratory of Gnotobiology Institute of Microbiology Czech Academy of Sciences Novy Hradek Czech Republic

References provided by Crossref.org

Modified live vaccine strains of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus cause immune system dysregulation similar to wild strains

Comparative Aspects of Immunoglobulin Gene Rearrangement Arrays in Different Species