5'-Nucleotidase in different populations of mouse lymphocytes.

The activity of 5'-nucleotidase in different populations of intact lymphocytes was studied using biochemical, cytochemical and radioautographic methods. In some strains of mice the results showed a consistent difference in 5'-nucleotidase (AMPase) content between intact thymic and splenic lymphocytes. In the R III, C 57, BALB/c, CBA and Cd-1 strains AMPase activity in the isolated splenic cells was foru to 10 times the activity of intact thymocytes. In highly enriched populations of splenic T and B cells the average AMPase activity was about the same. From separate assays it was seen that the AMPase activity in highly enriched populations of lymphoctes was variable so that within one experiment the T cells seemed to have the higher AMPase activity while in other experiments B cells shown to be more active than T cells. Ultrastructural radioautography was done to count AMPase positive cells within T and B cell populations, the latter identified b binding of I125-labelled anti-immunoglobulin. It was seen that about 50% of B cells, but only about 10% of T cells, were positive for AMPase. It is suggested that there is a subpopulation within B and T cell populations with a high membrane AMPase activity and another subpopulation with less or no enzyme activity. It is also suggested that the activity and/or the proportion of these positive cells is changing within the splenic cell population. By using cortisone to deplete the immature cells from the thymus it was seen that the remaining mature cells have about the same AMPase activity as did the immaturecells, and thus mature T cells must gain their high acitivity after leaving the thymus. By incubating splenic lymphocytes with Concanavalin A it was also seen that the immature transformed cells had the same amount of enzyme as did untransformed cells.