B lymphocyte migration to the bone marrow of humans is not random

This research is a result of analysing a total of 20 independently isolated immunoglobulin gene sequences from a defined population of mature B cells found in the bone marrow of five healthy adults. Each individual exhibited at least two identical gene sequences in our sample. Each variable immunoglobulin sequence is the product of the recombination of three gene segments, V, D and J genes. All sequences sampled contained a specific V gene, V5-51. Comparing the particular J and D genes expressed together with V5-51 as well as the junctional modifications between these genes established the relatedness of the sequences. The likelihood of finding at least two out of k identical gene sequences, if they occur randomly, is found and compared to the experimentally determined sequences. We conclude that it is unlikely that the B cells containing the related sequences found in the bone marrow is by chance. This suggests that this particular population of B cells migrate to the bone marrow in a co-ordinated fashion.