Migration of cells with immunoglobulin/c-myc recombinations in lymphoid tissues of mice

Recombinations between c-myc and immunoglobulin (Ig) sequences that typically occur in pristane-induced mouse plasmacytomas were detected in secondary lymphoid tissues from normal mice, chiefly in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue. Based on the analysis of recombination sequences as clonotypic markers, migration of c-myc recombination-positive cells was observed between Peyer's patches and into the intestine. Treatment of plasmacytoma-susceptible BALB/cAn mice with pristane induced proliferation and migration of these cells into mesenteric lymph node, spleen, and oil granuloma within 7 days. Plasmacytoma-resistant strains of mice (DBA/2N, C3H/HeJ, C57BL/6) differed in that (1) they harbored fewer clones (Ig/c-myc recombinations were detected in 33% of resistant mice versus 91% of BALB/cAn mice after pristane treatment); (2) Ig/c-myc-positive cells were rarely detected in the oil granuloma, and (3) c-myc recombined predominantly with the Ig alpha locus in BALB/cAn mice (72%), but with the Ig mu locus in DBA/2N and in C57BL/6 (67%). The results demonstrate that normal mice generate a large number of lymphocytes with aberrant c-myc in intestinal tissues without developing tumors.