Production of xenogeneic and allogeneic antisera specific for mouse thymus-derived lymphocytes

Xeongeneic and allogeneic antisera were raised in rabbits and mice using purified mouse T cell-specific antigens. These antisera were shown to be reactive in complement and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity tests as well as in immunofluorescence, with 30% of mouse spleen cells, 80% of lymph node cells and 100% of thymocytes or various T lymphoblastoid cell lines labeled. No reaction could be detected with bone marrow cells or non-T cell lines. Both types of reagents bound to the same spleen lymphocyte subpopulations and competed for the same antigenic sites as anti-Thy-1.2 alloantiserum. These antisera raised with small amounts of immunogens did not require any absorption to be rendered specific for mouse T cells.