The plasmablast-like leukocyte in the kidney of fugu ( XXXX ).

@entity1 @entity26050 @entity72537 @entity72536
In teleosts, the kidney is the major immune organ. From the kidney of fugu ( @entity26050 ), we isolated a unique leukocyte population. This population shows properties similar to those of @entity1 plasmablasts. First, adherent cells expressing IgM protein on their surface were obtained from the fugu kidney. Flow cytometry (FCM) showed that these cells were mainly composed of two cell populations: IgM+ @entity72536    cells and IgM+ @entity72536 + cells. Further characterization of the IgM+ @entity72536    population by RT-PCR demonstrated that the cells expressed secretory-type IgM as well as @entity72537 and Blimp-1, developmental marker genes for the B cell lineage. Western blotting also showed that the cells secreted IgM protein. These results indicate that the IgM+ @entity72536    cells are similar to cells at the plasmablast stage in mammals. This is the first report isolating plasmablast-like leukocytes in fish species. Our data also suggests that the teleosts kidney is a organ where B cells terminally differentiate into the plasma cells.
