Binding of Sheep Erythrocytes to Human Lymphocytes

Abstract

The study concerned the binding of sheep red blood cells by human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The results indicate that the phenomenon (rosette formation) is probably dependent on thymus‐derived lymphocytes (T lymphocytes) and not due to bone marrow lymphocytes (B lymphocytes). These data were obtained by a gradient centrifugation technique separating B lymphocytes from rosette‐forming cells, by direct study of B lymphocytes and rosette‐forming cells in the same preparations, and from the study of patients with selective immunodeficiency diseases and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Furthermore, inhibition of rosette formation was absent or very weak after incubation of lymphocytes with anti‐immunoglobulin antisera, but considerable following their incubation with unspecific mitogens (phytohaemagglutinin, pokeweed mitogen, concanavalin A, anti‐lymphocyte antiserum) and also after trypsin treatment. Incubation temperature was important for the frequency of rosettes, and experiments with metabolic inhibitors showed that to form rosettes the lymphocytes required an intact energy production.

Combined Studies of Complement Receptor and Surface Immunoglobulin-Bearing Cells and Sheep Erythrocyte Rosette-Forming Cells in Normal and Leukemic Human Lymphocytes

“…Furthermore, our data demonstrate that patients with low SIg do not contain appreciable amounts of TRFC. These data are similar to those obtained by others who studied TRFC in CLL patients with a high percentage of SIg' cells (7,8).…”

“…In the early studies only a relatively small population of peripheral blood lymphocytes formed rosettes (6,7,18,30); however, with some modifications in the technique, the studies of Jondal et al (8) as well as our own clearly indicate that the reaction between sheep erythrocytes and human lymphocytes is a quantitative marker for T cells and that in combination with markers for B cells such as SIg and CRL, all the lymphocytes in normal peripheral blood and thoracic duct can be accounted for.…”

“…In an effort to describe the B and T lymphocyte populations in humans, SIg and the complement receptor have been used to identify B cells and the recently described sheep E rosette-forming capacity used to identify T cells (6)(7)(8). Lymphocytes from normal individuals and individuals with CLL were studied.…”

“…In the mouse, T cells have the theta antigen and B cells do not. Human T cells can be identified by their lack of B cell markers and by their ability to form rosettes with sheep erythrocytes (6)(7)(8).…”

The E2 antigen, a 32 kd glycoprotein involved in T-cell adhesion processes, is the MIC2 gene product.

“…Spontaneous rosette formation between human T cells and erythrocytes from various species (Froland, 1972;Jondal et al, 1972;Amiot et al, 1984) has been a very useful phenomenon to identify, enumerate and separate human T lymphocytes. It has allowed significant progress in our knowledge of human T cell physiology, and has been used in therapy (Reisner et al, 1983).…”