Rabbit antiserum to human thymocyte membranes: specificity for normal and malignant T-lymphocytes

An antiserum was obtained by immunization of rabbits with human thymocyte membrane fractions. After appropriate absorptions, the antiserum was shown to detect specifically a population of T-cells. When tested by complement-mediated cytotoxicity the antiserum lysed 95% of thymocytes, 65% of normal PBL and 45% of tonsillar lymphocytes. It was also cytotoxic for three different T-cell lines (MOLT-4, CCRF-CEM and CCRF-HSB-2). When peripheral or tonsillar lymphocytes were separated into populations enriched in B- and T-cells, the percentage of cells lysed by the antiserum correlated well with the proportion of E-rosetting cells. Treatment of PBL with the antiserum and complement resulted in an increase of SmIg-positive B-cells in the residual cell fraction, which could no longer form E-rosettes. Treatment of PBL with the antiserum alone completely inhibited the E-rosette formation. The cytotoxic index on PBL from patients with various lymphoid disorders always correlated with the proportion of T-cells as assessed by E-rosette formation. Finally, the absorptive capacity of thymocytes for the antiserum was ten times higher as compared to that of PBL or tonsil cells.