SAUDI MEDICAL JOURNAL, cilt.26, sa.3, ss.385-389, 2005 (SCI-Expanded)
Objective: Tonsils (palatine and nasopharyngeal) are immunologically active tissues. Due to their anatomical location, they are considered to be the initial defense barrier against the antigens entering into the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. Tonsils act against these antigens by producing and activating the lymphocytes, which are responsible for the immune response. In order to get information regarding the distribution of cell surface antigens on the epithelial, stromal and lymphoid cells of these organs, we performed immunohistochemical staining by using antibodies against CD99, CD71 and CD98 activation antigens.