Appearance of H and B antigens in primary sensory cells of the rat olfactory apparatus and inner ear.

In the rat olfactory apparatus and inner ear the H antigen was first detected at the 15th day of gestational age. The B antigen appeared at the 16th day. In the olfactory apparatus H and B antigens were first detected in cells of the olfactory mucosa and of the olfactory bulb primordium. Towards the 16th and 17th days many small positive cells were seen between these two areas. In newborn and adult rats, olfactory bulb H and B antigens were restricted to the processes of the peripheral primary sensory cells. Both H and B antigens were detected in the epithelium of the inner ear and were later concentrated in the hair cells of the organ of Corti, the utricle and the saccule.