Localization and phenotype of cycling and post-cycling murine thymocytes studied by simultaneous detection of bromodeoxyuridine and surface antigens.

Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) was incorporated in vivo or in vitro into the DNA of proliferating murine thymocytes. Surface antigens Thy1, Lyt2 (CD8), L3T4 (CD4), interleukin-2 receptor (IL2-R), and the V beta 8 chain of the T-cell receptor were detected using specific monoclonal antibodies with the biotin-avidin system, and cells were then treated for DNA denaturation. Simultaneous detection of BrdUrd and surface markers was performed on cell smears and frozen sections by double-color immunofluorescence. The phenotype of cycling cells, determined in fetal thymus and in the thymus of mice from birth to one year of age, showed relative stability after the initial growth period, despite severe involution of the gland. Phenotypic evolution of cycling cells and their progeny was also studied in colchicine-treated animals and was shown to reproduce sequential events of T-cell differentiation. On sections, the highest frequency of cycling cells was observed in the outer cortex in normal thymus, but the first cells to start proliferation during regeneration were mostly located in the deep cortex and corticomedullary junction. These results show the high potential of this method, as compared to autoradiography of radiolabeled cells.