Investigations concerning the correlation between liver cell proliferation, production of alpha-fetoprotein, and DNA-synthesis of lymphocytes in the spleen of NMRI-mice. An autoradiographic and immunohistochemical study.

To obtain more information concerning the correlation between liver cell proliferation, production of alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) and DNA-synthesis of lymphocytes in the central and peripheral parts of periarteriolar lymphatic sheaths ( PALS ) of the spleen, these parameters were monitored in intervals of 12h after CCl4-poisoning of NMRI-mice using autoradiographic and immunohistochemical methods. The results indicate that synthesis of AFP is not linked closely to proliferation of hepatocytes because in contrast to DNA-synthesis the production of AFP was only detectable in a very small subpopulation of liver parenchymal cells reaching a peak before the majority of hepatocytes was found to enter the S-phase of the cell cycle. Beyond this, in vivo no general suppressive effect of AFP on proliferation of lymphocytes in preferably T-dependent areas of the spleen could be detected since the 3H-TdR-labeling index in these compartments increased, reaching a peak 48h after the maximum of hepatocytes producing AFP had occurred.