Characteristics of thymus-homing bone marrow cells.

Using a short-term in vivo assay, we studied bone marrow cells capable of homing to the thymus of lethally irradiated recipients. In the bone marrow, these cells lack the T cell markers Thy-1 and Lyt. Soon after their homing into the thymus, however, the immigrants begin to express Thy-1 and Lyt antigens, but not TL antigen. Unexpectedly, Lyt antigens appear to be expressed before Thy-1. These thymus-homing bone marrow cells seem to be already separated from the B cell lineage. Most of the homing cells are engaged in the cell cycle.