Murine natural killer cells do not express functional transcripts of the alpha-, beta-, or gamma-chain genes of the T cell receptor.

Murine natural killer (NK) cells were purified by sorting with the NK cell-specific monoclonal antibody anti-NK-1.1. Sorted NK-1.1+ cells contained all splenic NK activity and could be propagated in human recombinant IL 2 for 3 to 4 wk. Short-term cultured NK-1.1+ cells maintained the cell-surface phenotype, morphologic appearance, and lytic activity characteristic of freshly isolated splenic NK cells. RNA extracted from this purified and propagated population of NK cells was probed for T cell receptor gene transcripts by Northern blot analysis. No functional transcripts of the alpha-, beta-, or gamma-chain genes of the T cell receptor were detected. These data dissociate NK cells from mature cytotoxic T cells, as well as the earliest identifiable cells committed to the T lineage.