Lymphocyte surface and cytoplasmic changes associated with translational motility and spontaneous capping of Ig

Murine B-lymphocytes during translatory motion undergo a series of changes with respect to their morphology and distribution of surface immunoglobulins (Ig). The sequence of events comprising these changes was followed by fluorescence microscopy and a correlated detection of surface features by scanning microscopy on exactly the same cell. A round, presumably non-motile lymphocyte exhibited a random distribution of Ig and its surface displayed evenly distributed microvilli. Formation of a ruffled edge at one pole, accompanied by a decreased fluorescence at this pole marked the initial events of lymphocyte motility. In the subsequent stages, the ruffled edge became progressively prominent and displayed a constriction at its base, while the microvilli were displaced to the opposite pole. Ig in such lymphocytes was localized at the trailing, microvilli-rich pole. Thin sections of motile lymphocytes revealed Ig, microtubules, microfilaments and coated vesicles as the characteristic features of the trailing end. These observations may have bearing on the mechanism of lymphocyte motility and spontaneous capping of Ig.