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. 1974 May;26(5):995–1012.

Distinct subpopulations of thymus-dependent lymphocytes

Tracing of the differentiation pathway of T cells by use of preparatively electrophoretically separated mouse lymphocytes

K Zeiller, Gertrud Pascher, G Wagner, H G Liebich, Edith Holzberg, K Hannig
PMCID: PMC1423256  PMID: 4152839

Abstract

Thymus-dependent cells from thymus and peripheral lymphoid organs were preparatively separated by means of free flow electrophoresis into various subpopulations which were defined in terms of θ (theta) antigen content, negative surface charge, graft-versus-host (GvH) reactivity, hydrocortisone sensitivity, cell volume and morphological details. Most thymocytes in the cortex have a low negative surface charge, high θ antigen content, are hydrocortisone-sensitive and immuno-incompetent. On the basis of electronic cell sizing this group consists of a large population of 90 μm3 cells (T1) and a small population of 175 μm3 cells (T2), the latter being less hydrocortisone-sensitive than the former.

A minority of thymocytes resides in and around the medulla and has high negative surface charge, a medium θ antigen content, is hydrocortisone-resistant and reveals low GvH reactivity. These cells are medium sized (125 μm3), electrophoretically bimodal (T3 had a medium and T4 a high negative surface charge) and on the basis of morphological criteria are metabolically more active than the thymocytes of low negative surface charge.

In the peripheral lymphoid organs, all thymus-dependent cells show high negative surface charge and have the lowest observed θ antigen content and the highest observed GvH reactivity. These cells fall into two populations of which one is 125 μm3 with lower negative surface charge and the other is 90 μm3 with a somewhat higher negative surface charge. These 125 μm3 cells (T4), which morphologically resemble the 125 μm3 thymocytes, are less GvH-reactive than the 90 μm3 (T5) cells, which seem to be resting cells.

On the basis of these data, a possible sequence of steps in the maturation of T cells was constructed as follows: in the cortex of the thymus T1 thymocytes are transformed into T2 and these develop into T3 and T4 thymocytes which have higher negative surface charge, lower θ antigen content and are in an advanced stage of maturity. After further loss of θ antigen these cells, which are in the medulla, emigrate into the periphery and are finally transformed into highly immunocompetent T5 cells possessing the highest observed negative surface charge.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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