Plant agglutinins used to distinguish between different classes of mouse lymphocytes

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Abstract
Cortisone‐resistant thymocytes and thoracic duct cells from nu/+ mice and lymph node cells from athymic nu/nu mice were used as highly enriched populations of T and B cells, respectively.The agglutinin from wheat germ agglutinated B cells more strongly (by factors of 5 and 14) than both cortisone resistant thymocytes and thoracic duct cells. Wheat germ agglutinin may thus provide a new B cell‐specific marker.Soy bean agglutinins from two different sources agglutinated B cells and cortisone‐resistant thymus cells equally well, but failed to agglutinate thoracic duct cells. The different behavior of the two T cell preparations is taken as further evidence of the existence of subpopulations of thymus‐derived lymphocytes.