Human T Cell Differentiation Antigens Characterizing a Cytotoxic/Suppressor T Cell Subset

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Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies were raised against the leukemic T cells from a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Two antibodies, termed T411 and T811, were obtained which were reactive by indirect immunofluorescence only with cells of the T cell lineage. The T411 antibody recognized a polypeptide chain of 100,000 dalton apparent molecular weight which was present on the surface of 94 ± 4% of peripheral blood T lymphocytes, but only on 20 ± 8% of thymus cells. The antibody T811 reacted with a surface molecule composed of 2 poly-peptide chains of 32,000 and 34,000 dalton apparent molecular weight, which was expressed only on 25 ± 10% of blood T lymphocytes and on 90 ± 4% of thymus cells. Functional analysis of the T811+ and T811−1 T cell subsets isolated by rosetting with anti-mouse Ig coated ox erythrocytes revealed that both subpopulations were able to mount a proliferative response to allo-antigens, whereas allo-antigen induced cytotoxic cells and their precursors were only found in the T8ll+ subset. The pokeweed mitogen induced in vitro differentiation of B lymphocytes into immunoglobulin secreting cells was dependent on the presence of the T811− subset, whereas the T811+ T cells efficiently suppressed this differentiation.