Cloned human CD3- lymphocytes with natural killer-like activity do not express nor rearrange T cell receptor gamma genes.

Here we report the characterization of T cell receptor (TCR) gene activation in 14 CD3- cloned lymphocytes with natural killer-like activity from different origins. No transcription of either alpha or beta or gamma genes is detected in any of these clones. All J beta, C beta clusters are in germ-line configuration. The 5 presently described J gamma loci (J gamma P1, J gamma P, J gamma 1, J gamma P2, J gamma 2) are also in germ-line configuration on each chromosome. These results indicate that several distinct populations of CD3- cloned NK cells do not use gamma gene products as a recognition structure. Perhaps more importantly, these cells do not appear to be engaged in the earliest presently known stage of T lymphocyte differentiation, namely rearrangement at one of the J gamma loci.