T3 expression by human thymocytes in culture.

By panning procedures employing T6 and T3 monoclonal antibody, human thymocytes were fractionated into two subpopulations depleted of T6- or T3-positive (T6+, T3+) cells. Unfractionated thymocytes and T6- and T3-depleted subpopulations were separately cultured for 48 h in RPMI 1640 medium with 10% FCS or in HB 101 serum-free medium. Determining the phenotype of unfractionated thymocytes at various time intervals, a time-dependent increase of T3+ cells was observed. An inverse relationship was found between the percentage of T3+ cells and the T6 and peanut agglutinin (PNA) reactive thymocytes. When the surface antigen expression in the T3-depleted population (greater than 95% T6+ and PNA+ cells) was analysed, a strong increase of T3+ cells and a complementary reduction of T6+ and PNA+ cells was evidenced. During that time the surface phenotype of the T6-depleted population (greater than 80% T3+ cells) showed the same trend of differentiation, as the other thymocyte preparations. These results indicate that a conspicuous fraction of human thymocytes and particularly of those characterized by a cortical phenotype (PNA+ and T6+ cells), are able to express mature T-cell antigens when cultured in vitro in the absence of the thymic microenvironment influence. However, the in vitro acquisition of a mature phenotype is not accompanied by a parallel achievement of the capacity to respond to mitogens such as PHA or T3 monoclonal antibody.