Figure 5.

Expression of laminin receptors on human thymocytes. (a) Dual-colour FACS analysis of unfractionated human thymocytes revealed that CD3⁻ thymocytes expressing the integrin α6 chain were present (CD49f, lower right quadrant). By double labelling for integrin β1 (CD29) and α6 chains it was shown that all thymocytes contained the integrin β1 chain, but not the integrin α6 chain. The controls show the isotype controls and the PE-conjugated second antibody control. (b) MACS-separated thymocyte subpopulations were labelled with antibodies against the integrin α3 (CD49c), α6 (CD49f), β4 (CD104) and β1 (CD29) chains. The integrin β1 chain was strongly expressed on all thymocyte subpopulations. DN and DP thymocytes expressed the integrin α6 chain, but not the integrin α3 and β4 chains, whereas CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ SP thymocytes expressed all three integrin chains (α3, α6, β4), although at varying intensities.