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Thymosin beta 4 was tested for its ability to induce phenotypic changes in the human T-cell line Molt-4. Cells were cultured with nanogram concentrations of thymosin beta 4 for up to 16 days and were analyzed with a panel of monoclonal antibodies, sheep erythrocyte rosetting, peanut agglutinin binding (PNA) and an antibody to the enzyme, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). Thymosin beta 4 induced Molt-4 cells to reduce the expression of a T-cell lineage specific antigen, with preferential expression on T blast-cells, detected by WT 1 monoclonal antibody. Thymosin beta 4 also induced an increase in sheep erythrocyte rosettes and PNA binding as well as an increased expression of OKT 11 A and OKT 8 in Molt-4 cells. TdT was found to be unchanged, however. Analysis of thymosin beta 4-treated cells with other monoclonal antibodies (OKT 3, OKT 6, OKT 9) showed no change when compared to controls. These results showed that thymosin beta 4 is capable of inducing phenotypic changes in Molt-4 cells. Such changes may represent a differentiation process of these cells through the early stages of the maturation process of thymus-dependent lymphocytes, albeit not to the stage of mature T cells.

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