Cell sorting of lymphocyte subpopulations by biotinylated antibody and avidin-Sepharose beads.

A method has been developed to divide lymphocyte populations into subsets based on the affinity of avidin for biotinylated antibodies. Murine splenic lymphocytes were mixed with biotin-conjugated anti-immunoglobulin, Thy-1 or anti-Lyt antibodies. Cells bound by these reagents were adsorbed to avidin-sepharose beads and by this negative selection procedure effluent cell populations enriched for T cells, B cells or Lyt subsets were prepared reproducibly and rapidly.