Thymus-derived rosettes are not "helper" cells

Rosettes against SRBC were made from normal spleen cells. Although T rosettes tend to dissociate, they could be stabilized with 0.05% sodium azide. A clear separation of nonrosettes, T rosettes, and B rosettes was obtained by subjecting the suspension of splenic rosettes to velocity sedimentation at unit gravity. Each fraction was injected with either normal bone marrow cells or normal thymus cells with antigen into 650-R-irradiated hosts. Direct plaque-forming cells (PFC) were assayed in the spleens 7 days later. Synergism with thymus cells occurred only in the B-rosette fraction; PFC precursors therefore sedimented as B rosettes. Synergism with bone marrow cells occurred only in the nonrosette small lymphocyte fraction; helper cells therefore did not bind detectable numbers of sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Thus T rosettes are not helper cells in the direct PFC response of bone marrow B cells to SRBC.