A novel cell-surface antigen expressed on most leukocytes and a minor cortisone-resistant population of thymocytes in rats: characterization by monoclonal antibodies.

A cell-surface antigen on rat lympho-hemopoietic cells was determined by using a monoclonal antibody, R2-1B3 (1B3). The 1B3 antibody, when tested for its reactivity with different hemopoietic cells by cytofluorography with a FACS analyzer, labeled more than 80% of lymph node, spleen, and bone marrow cells and 10-20% of thymus cells. Cytofluorographic analysis performed on purified rat T cells, B cells, macrophages, and granulocytes demonstrated that the antigen defined by 1B3 was readily detectable on all of these cell types, with the greatest expression on B cells. A minor population of thymocytes that were labeled by 1B3 appeared to be cortisone-resistant and were located mainly in the thymic medulla. These 1B3 positive thymic cells seemed to be functionally more mature than 1B3-negative thymus cells as suggested by the fact that the cytotoxic treatment of thymus cells with 1B3 antibody and complement (C) resulted in significant reduction of their responsiveness to phytomitogens and lymphokines derived from concanavalin A (con A) activated rat spleen cell cultures. Immunochemical data showed that 1B3 antibody recognized the broad ill-defined band with a molecular weight of 32K to 47K daltons as estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These data indicate that the 1B3 defined antigen is distinct from other, previously reported, antigens on rat lymphoid cells including leukocyte-common (L-C) and MRC OX-22 antigens, and that this 1B3 antibody is a useful reagent for analyzing the intrathymic differentiation of T cells in rats.