Kinetics and distribution of bovine γδ T-lymphocyte in the intestine: γδ T cells accumulate in the dome region of Peyer's patch during prenatal development

The kinetics and distribution of γδ T cells in bovine intestine including jejunal and ileal Peyer's patch were examined. The number of γδ T cells increased significantly in the dome region during prenatal development, but decreased notably after birth. The number of some γδ T cells, CD4+ cells, and CD8+ cells in the intestinal villi remained constant during prenatal development, but increased significantly after birth. The kinetics of the γδ T cells in the dome region during prenatal development were quite distinct from those of the γδ T cells, CD4+ cells, and CD8+ cells in the intestinal villi. In the fetal ileum at full-term gestation, the frequencies of expression of the T-cell receptor γ variable region (TCR Vγ) family were TCR Vγ1 (48%), Vγ2 (4%), and Vγ5 (48%). However, in 2-month-old calf ileum, TCR Vγ5 (90%) was dominant. We speculate that functional differences exist between γδ T cells in the dome region during prenatal development and in the intestinal villi after birth.