Cellular composition of the bone marrow in the chicken. II. Effect of age and the influence of the bursa of Fabricius on the size of cellular compartments

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · Anat. Rec.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.1092000410· OSTI ID:5995758

Glick, B; Rosse, C

The blood and bone marrow of New Hampshire chicks were analyzed quantitatively from the time of hatch to 8 weeks of age. Hormonal bursectomy was performed by treating embryonating eggs on the 11th day of incubation with testosterone propionate (TP) which resulted in severe hypogammaglobulinemia and complete atrophy of the bursa of Fabricius. TP-treated birds exhibited some lymphocytopenia, reduced splenic weight, and lack of plasma cells in their bone marrow. The number of cells per milligram bone marrow was comparable in normal and TP-treated birds, falling in the range reported for laboratory rodents. The chick medullary hemopoiesis is characterized by the predominance of erythroblasts throughout early development; granulocytes and lymphocytes represent much smaller cellular compartments than in rodents. In the chick granulocytes tend to decrease after hatch, whereas in rodents they tend to increase. The normal chick shows a temporary increase in marrow lymphocytes after hatch, similar to that observed in some young rodents, but on a much smaller scale. Hormonal bursectomy did not prevent the development of a lymphocyte population in the bone marrow. These cells were fewer in TP-treated birds at hatch and at 4 weeks than in normal birds, but at 8 weeks of age normal and bursectomized chicks had comparable numbers of lymphocytes in their marrow. Although some lymphocytes in avain bone marrow may depend on the bursa of Fabricius for their development, a substantial proportion of bone marrow lymphocytes in the chick are bursa independent. The cell surface phenotype and site of origin of these cells remains to be investigated. 40 references, 1 figure, 3 tables.

• Research Organization: Mississippi State Univ., Mississippi State
• DOE Contract Number: AT06-79EV10270
• OSTI ID: 5995758
• Journal Information: Anat. Rec.; (United States), Journal Name: Anat. Rec.; (United States) Vol. 200; ISSN ANREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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560304* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Invertebrates-- (-1987)
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AGE DEPENDENCE
ANDROGENS
ANDROSTANES
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMAL TISSUES
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIRDS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
BONE MARROW
BONE MARROW CELLS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHICKENS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DATA
ESTERS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FOWL
HEMATOPOIETIC SYSTEM
HORMONES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
KETONES
LEUKOCYTES
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
LYMPHOCYTES
MATERIALS
MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PROPIONIC ACID
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
SIZE
SOMATIC CELLS
STEROID HORMONES
STEROIDS
TESTOSTERONE
TISSUES
VERTEBRATES