Expression of Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) antigens on lymphocytes. I. Distribution of cryptic and exposed TF antigens on murine lymphocytes from different lymphoid organs: detection with an anti-TF monoclonal antibody and peanut agglutinin.

Cryptic Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) antigens were detected by the lectin peanut agglutinin (PNA) on the surface of murine lymphocytes after treatment of cells with neuraminidase. Thereby, a particular TF antigen could be distinguished using a monoclonal anti-TF antibody 49H8. In contrast to the known general galactoside specificity of PNA, the mAb was restricted to Gal beta(1-3)GalNAc/GlcNAc. Preincubation of cells with PNA abolished mAb 49H8 binding completely. However, only the intensity of staining with PNA was reduced by prior incubation of cells with the mAb. Cryptic TF antigens detected by the mAb were expressed on 39% of murine bone marrow cells, 88% of thymocytes, 62% of lymph node cells, and 65% of spleen cells. On the other hand, over 80% of the lymphatic cells carried cryptic PNA binding sites independent of the lymphoid organ they derived. In the thymus, a subpopulation of cells (76%) could be detected by PNA without neuraminidase treatment. Twenty-eight percent of thymocytes carried exposed mAb binding sites, too. All of them were shown to express further binding sites for PNA constantly. Therefore, a subpopulation of PNA-reactive, immature thymocytes can be distinguished by the mAb 49H8. During activation of splenic lymphocytes with PHA, the lymphoblasts completely lost their cryptic mAb binding sites while PNA reactivity was not affected. We conclude that the anti-TF mAb recognizes a particular TF antigen exposed on thymocytes and present in a cryptic form on other lymphocytes. The number of cells carrying mAb 49H8 binding sites varied, dependent on the organ from which the lymphocytes derived. PNA-reactive lymphocytes are distributed homogeneously in the lymphoid organs.