Class II major histocompatibility complex molecules regulate the development of the T4+T8- inducer phenotype of cultured human thymocytes.

We demonstrate that a variety of Ia+ cells has the ability to promote the development of human T4+T8- thymocytes in vitro. Prolonged thymocyte culture in the absence of Ia+ accessory cells results in a predominantly T8+T4- cell population. The generation of T4+ cells in the presence of irradiated Ia+ cells could be suppressed up to 70% by a monoclonal antibody directed against a nonpolymorphic epitope on HLA-DR. Using two-color fluorescence sorting techniques, we were able to identify the activated T4+T8+ thymocyte as the cell that interacts with Ia and gives rise to the T4+T8- cell subset. These results directly and specifically implicate class II major histocompatibility complex molecules in the differentiative pathway of the human thymocyte.