92 The Lymphocyte and Lymphocytic Tissue 



immune catabolism prior to the eighth day. 62 Next, not all the transferred 

 cells have an opportunity to synthesize antibody since many die within the 

 first few days after transfer. We cannot quantify the proportion of trans- 

 ferred cells that are lost, but we can minimize this variable by basing esti- 

 mates of production on the recipients with the greatest amounts of circulating 



Fig. 7-9. Recipient site 8 days after transfer of living lymph node cells. Pyronine-methyl 

 green stain shows intense cytoplasmic pyroninophilia of plasma cells, (x 1300) 



antibody. These recipients had antibody levels of about 100 fig. of antibody 

 nitrogen per milliliter of serum, equivalent to one billion molecules of 

 antibody per transferred cell. Thus, in these instances the transferred lymph 

 node cells were responsible for the synthesis of more than twice their own 

 wet weight of antibody within eight days. This places antibody-producing 

 cells among the most active protein-producing cells in the body. 



It seems likely that the transferred cells were responsible for the antibody 



