Comparative phenotypic and ultrastructural characteristics of OKT6-positive cells in normal peripheral blood (adult and infant), in cord blood and in epidermis.

Simple and rapid procedures have been developed to isolate T6-positive cells in epidermal cell suspensions, in peripheral blood of adult, and in cord blood. The isolated T6-positive cells were tested by double immunogold labelling at ultrastructural level to analyze their phenotype (T6/HLA-DR antigens) and their morphological features in order to understand their origin, their fate, and their relationship to the early precursors of dendritic cells, immature neonatal lymphoid subsets, and immature macrophagic leukocytes.