Histophysiology of Germinal Centers and their Role in Antibody Response: An Autoradiographic Study in the Rabbit

Abstract

Although in the past few years many data on germinal center activity have become available, the exact role played by germinal centers in the reaction against an antigen, leading to the production of humoral antibodies, is still a matter of discussion. Experiments as done by Nossal and co-workers [1] have shown that at least part of the antigen is trapped in some way or another within the germinal center. Hanna [2] has shown that germinal center cells respond to antigenic stimulation by proliferation; primitive lymphatic tissue cells derived from germinal centers would then, after migration into the lymphocyte mass (white pulp) and red pulp, transform into immature plasma cells, which are known to produce antibody. Many investigators [3–5] have demonstrated that antibody is present in germinal centers, though it is uncertain whether this indicates antibody production [3, 5] or should be considered a phenomenon secondary to the trapping of antigen (i.e., antibody from the circulation is “trapped” in its turn by the antigen already present) [4], Electron microscopic observations on germinal centers of human tonsils by Lennert et al. [6] finally suqgest the development within these germinal centers of a cell line that can synthesize protein, probably of antibody character.