PEANUT AGGLUTININ (PNA)-BINDING PROPERTIES OF MURINE THYMOCYTE SUB-POPULATIONS

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  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 37  (1) , 217-224
Abstract
Surface receptors for PNA, a lectin with D-galactose specificity, were detected on mouse thymocytes using fluorescence microscopy. Depending on mouse strain, 69-85% of unseparated thymocytes could thus be characterized as PNA+. Electrophoretic fractionation of thymocytes from normal or immunosuppressive drug-treated donors revealed an inverse relationship between PNA-binding properties and cell electrophoretic mobility (EPM). All thymocytes recovered in the lowest EPM fractions were strongly PNA+ whereas those in the highest EPM fractions were in the majority PNA-. Most of the cells collected in the intermediate EPM range were PNA+ but staining with the fluoresceinated lectin appeared weaker than for the low EPM thymocytes. Reciprocal experiments in which thymocytes were separated by PNA-mediated aggregation into fractions with different affinities for the lectin and then subjected to physical analysis definitely established that PNA+ cells are of lower EPM than PNA- cells and that these 2 cell types also differ in size distribution. The 4 physical thymocytes subpopulations previously described present distinctive PNA-binding properties: Th1 and Th2 cells can be classified as strongly PNA+, Th3 cells as less intensely PNA+ and Th4 cells as mostly PNA-.