Phenotypic Characterization of Antibody-Secreting Cells in the Liver

We compared the phenotypic characterization of antibody-secreting cells in the liver, the spleen, and Peyer's patch that had been subjected to various treatments in mice. The highest proportion of IgA-secreting cells was found in the liver mononuclear cells (MNC). They contained IgM-secreting cells in similar proportions to those in Peyer's patch but at lower proportions than in the spleen. In immunized mice, levels of IgG-secreting cells in the spleen and the liver were about 10 times higher than those in normal mice. The distribution pattern of immunoglobulin-secreting cells in Peyer's patch was virtually unchanged by any treatment. In the normal mice there were no significant differences among these organs in the distribution of the surface immunoglobulin phenotype in MNC. IgA-secreting cells in Peyer's patch secreted more antibodies per cell than those in the spleen or the liver.