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Marrow environment not required for differentiation of B lymphocytes

Abstract

IN birds, B lymphocytes differentiate from primitive progenitors in the Bursa of Fabricius, which is thought to provide a unique inductive stimulus, as the thymus in both birds and mammals is thought to provide a stimulus for the differentiation of T lymphocytes. A bursal equivalent has not, however, been identified in mammals. Two proposed sites are the bone marrow1 and the gut-associated lymphoid tissue2. We now have evidence, however, that the bone marrow is not an essential site for the differentiation of B lymphocytes in mammals.

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PHILLIPS, R., MILLER, R. Marrow environment not required for differentiation of B lymphocytes. Nature 251, 444–446 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/251444a0

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