Development of T-lymphocyte subpopulations in the postnatal chicken oviduct

Postnatal development of T-cell subpopulations in the oviduct was investigated in the Dekalb strain of the White Leghorn chicken by using an immunohistochemical method. T-lymphocytes first infiltrated the oviduct at 5 weeks. The number of T cells peaked at 15 weeks in the magnum, isthmus and uterus, and at 19 weeks in the infundibulum and vagina. The epithelium of the oviduct contained both granular and agranular lymphocytes. TcR1(+) cells were predominant in the epithelium, whereas TcR2(+) cells were more numerous than TcR1(+) cells in the lamina propria. TcR3(+) cells were absent from the epithelium and were not numerous in the lamina propria. CT8(+) cells, equivalent to CD8(+) cells in mammals, were located both in the epithelium and in the lamina propria. The relative frequency of T-cell subpopulations was found to be higher in the vaginal part than in other parts of the oviduct. These results suggest that the postnatal developmental changes of T-cell subpopulations depend on different anatomical regions of the oviduct and on the age of the chicken.