Intestinal epithelial cells rosette with sheep red blood cells

A large fraction of colonic epithelial cells (45 +/- 15%) formed rosettes with sheep red blood cells (RBC) but not with bovine or human RBC. This interaction was independent of the T11 receptor since it was not inhibited by anti-T11 antibody or trypsin treatment of the epithelial cells. The binding was also not due to surface immunoglobulin reactive with sheep RBC since antibodies to immunoglobulin light chains did not block the interaction. Sheep RBC rosettes formed around colonic and jejunal epithelial cells, a few percent of colonic adenocarcinoma cells, but not around uterine epithelial cells. Sheep RBC rosette formation should not be used to quantitate or isolate intestinal mucosal T cells if epithelial cells are present.