Studies on the effect of various agents on the maturation of thymus stem cells.

Experiments were carried out on 14-day fetal mouse thymic stem cells which were treated with agents known to increase cellular cAMP levels for a period of 90 min at 37 degrees C. When compared to controls, a high proportion of treated stem cells were found to develop Thy-1 (theta) antigen as indicated by dye exclusion tests using anti-Thy-1 serum and complement.