Separation of viable T and B lymphocytes using a cytochemical stain, Hoechst 33342

Data are presented that show that a histochemical stain, Hoeschst 33342, can be used to discriminate between viable B and T lymphocytes in the mouse. Quantitative analysis of the staining of cells from various lymphoid tissues with Hoechst 33342 using a Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) indicates that two populations of cells can be identified. In the spleen approximately 60% of the lymphocytes can be classified as brightly stained with 1 microgram/ml of Hoechst 33342, while in the lymph node only 40% of the cells stain brightly. Thymocytes exhibit only the dull staining profile. Separation of these two populations from the spleen using the FACS and reanalyzing them for cell surface antigenic markers shows that the lymphocytes stained brightly with Hoechst 33342 are predominantly immunoglobulin positive, while the cells that stain less brightly express Thy 1.2. This indicates that a histochemical stain correlates directly with classical immunological markers on cell surfaces.