Immune cells associated with M cells in the follicle-associated epithelium of Peyer's patches in the rat. An electron- and immuno-electron-microscopic study.

Follicle-associated epithelium of Peyer's patches can be differentiated from nearby villous epithelium by the presence of M cells which are antigen-sampling epithelial cells, and by an increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes that are in close contact with M cells. The phenotype of the immune cells close to the M cells of the follicle-associated epithelium of rat Peyer's patches was determined by immunohistochemistry and compared with that of the intra-epithelial lymphocytes of the villous epithelium. Lymphoid T cells, predominantly of the cytotoxic/suppressor phenotype, were observed both in follicle-associated epithelium and in villous epithelium. Lymphoid B cells, mainly immunoblasts and plasma cells containing intracytoplasmic IgM, were present only in the follicle-associated epithelium, near M cells. Macrophages were also present, in contact with M cells, in follicle-associated epithelium, but not in villous epithelium. In addition, M cells bore Ia molecules on their apical membranes. These findings reinforce the concept of immune specialization of the follicle-associated epithelium, by demonstrating that this epithelium contains all the effector cells of immune responses.