Isolation of a subset of thymocytes inducible for terminal transferase biosynthesis.

A new technique using direct binding of nucleated hematopoietic cells to PNA-coated rabbit red blood cell monolayers was used to separate PNA + and PNA - cells from murine thymus. The rigorously purified PNA - thymocyte population was found to lack TdT and to be low in TL. Incubation of the negative fraction with TP 5 resulted in the synthesis of TdT in a large number of cells in the fraction, and the appearance of TL on the surface of about 20% of the cells. Isolation of this inducible population has led us to propose a new class of cells in intrathymic T cell development.