Heterologous antiserum to a subpopulation of thymocytes and lymphomas in rats.

Immunization of rabbits with rat leukemia DBLA-6 resulted in the production of antisera which upon absorption with hepatoma cells were specific for rat immature T lymphocytes. The antisera showed cytotoxicity against thymocytes and killed 75 approximately 90% of them, whereas the antisera had no cytotoxic effect on peripheral lymphocytes from the spleen, lymph node, and bone marrow of rats. The antisera also showed cytotoxicity against rat lymphatic leukemia and lymphoma cells of all lines tested but not against rat myelogenous leukemia and erythroleukemia cells. The cytotoxic activity of anti-DBLA-6 serum was completely absorbed with rat brain or thymocytes.