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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets
Published on: April 16, 2015
Pinocchio cells: morphologically atypical immunologically heterogeneous lymphocytes induced by treatment with
P A Paciucci1, P G Chesa, M T Fierro
1Mount Sinai Cancer Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029.
Abstract:
We describe a novel cell type, the Pinocchio cell, that appears in the peripheral blood of all patients receiving treatment with interleukin 2, up to 20,000 cells/microliter. This cell is characterized by a prominent and granular proboscis with which it attaches to tumor cells and mediates tumor cell lysis. Pinocchio cells are immunologically heterogeneous and express antigens of both T and NK cells; Pinocchio cells are adherent in culture and are more cytolytic than non-adherent cells against NK-sensitive and resistant tumor cells. Incubation of normal whole human blood for 1 h induces Pinocchio morphology of mononuclear white blood cells.

