Surface carbohydrate composition of murine thymocytes and of lymph node cells from normal and athymic (nude) mice.

Surface glycoproteins (papain digests) have been isolated from lymph node cells of normal mice which contain mainly T cells, and from lymph node cells of nude (athymic) mice, which essentially represent B cells. Gaschromatographic analysis revealed that the glycoproteins from the lymph node cells of the euthymic mice contain less galactose than the glycoproteins from lymph node cells of the athymic mice, but contain still more galactose than glycoproteins from thymocytes. Lymph node cells from both sources contain about equal amounts of neuraminic acid, while thymocytes contain slightly less sialic acid. The observed differences provide a molecular explanation for the different reactivity of murine B cells and T cells towards soybean agglutinine and other galactose-binding plant lectins.