Fractionation of human bone-marrow mononuclear cells with peanut agglutinin: phenotypic characterization with monoclonal antibodies.

Bone marrow mononuclear cells were fractionated by affinity chromatography on immobilized peanut agglutinin (PNA). The resulting PNA+ fraction represented 10% of the total cell number. Twenty percent of the cells within the PNA+ compartment coexpressed the T6, Ia, Mo1, and My4 differentiation antigens and possessed Fc and C3 receptors. The similarity in cell surface antigen phenotype led us to hypothesize that this subset may be a cellular precursor of dendritic cells found in the skin (Langerhans cells) or in the parenchimal organs of the body (D-cells).