Effect of cryopreservation on lymphocyte markers evaluated by monoclonal antibodies.

Lymphocytes were frozen at a density of 5 to 10 X 10(6) cells per ml at 1 degree C per minute in a programmable liquid nitrogen freezer. T-subsets were determined by using monoclonal antibodies. A fluorescein-conjugated polyvalent antisera with B-cell specificity was used to define B-cells. No significant change in numbers of total T-lymphocytes or -subsets was identified in the frozen lymphocytes when compared to fresh controls. Liquid nitrogen cryopreservation is an acceptable method of storing lymphocytes for subsequent determination of T-subsets using monoclonal antibodies.