Both CD45RA+ and CD45RA- subpopulations of CD8+ T cells contain cells with high levels of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 expression, a phenotype of primed T cells.

Expression of CD45 isoforms and some adhesion molecules on T cells change during T cell activation. In CD4+ T cells, it has been reported that CD45RA is lost and CD45RO is up-regulated when CD4+ T cells are stimulated. This change seemed to be irreversible and thus CD45RA may serve as a marker for virgin T cells and CD45R0 as a marker for memory T cells in CD4+ T cells. In CD8+ T cells, however, the expression of CD45 isoform has been less well understood. We have previously reported the switching of CD45 isoform expression may be reversible and CD8+CD45RA+ T cells may contain preactivated T cells. We present further evidence to support this notion by investigating the expression of lymphocyte function-associated Ag (LFA-1) in relation to CD45 isoform expression in various T cell populations in the human. In the thymus and umbilical cord blood, more than 97% of both CD4+ and CD8+ single positive T cells expressed LFA-1 at a low level. In CD4+ peripheral blood T cells, a high level of LFA-1 expression was found only in the CD45RA- population: 98% of CD45RA+ cells were LFA-1low. In CD8+ peripheral blood T cells, in contrast, a distinct population of LFA-1high cells was found in CD45RA+ subset, comprising about 45% of this subset in a 32-yr-old donor. In 7 days after stimulation with PHA, all CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, irrespective of their CD45 isoform expression, were LFA-1high. The proportion of CD45RA+ cells decreased in CD4+ but slightly increased in CD8+ T cells after the stimulation. These results support the notion that CD45RA and CD45R0 mark virgin and memory T cells respectively in the CD4+ T cells, and that CD8+CD45RA- T cells are primed. However, the validity of CD45RA as a marker of virgin cells in CD8+ T cells is seriously questioned.