On the origin of peritoneal resident macrophages. III. EM-immunocytochemical studies on the origin of mouse peritoneal resident macrophages.

The origin of resident macrophages was studied in chimera mice, F1(B10M X DBA2)----B10M, by means of EM-immunocytochemical detection of H-2 antigens on the cell surface of donor cells, F1(B10M X DBA2) (H-2d/H-2f haplotype), in the B10M (H-2f haplotype) host. The methodology used was an acceleration of the replacement of host peritoneal resident macrophages, reached by complete peritoneal cell depletion. In mice with successful engraftment of the bone marrow, the recovered peritoneal resident macrophage population showed the H-2d antigenic characteristics of the bone marrow donor. It was concluded that under the experimental conditions of this study peritoneal resident macrophages derive at least partly from precursor cells in the bone marrow.