Cytochemical markers for T mu and T gamma. A comparative study.

A procedure is described for the cytochemical detection of esterase alpha naphtyl acetate (ANAE) and beta glucuronidase (BG) activity in the circulating lymphocytes of man. The number of BG positive cells (TBG) as evaluated on the smears of Ficoll Urovision purified cells, correlated well with the number of T gamma (EA gamma rosette forming cells with ox red blood cells) in the same blood samples of a group of healthy persons and patients, with pollinosis, atrophic rhinitis and bacterial asthma. In healthy persons, the number of T gamma cells by rosette method was 12.5 +/- 0.5% whilst BG positive cells were 14.0 +/- 14%. The patients had an equal number of BG positive cells and T gamma too. The present study broadly confirms ANAE activity as a cytochemical marker for T mu cells. These results tested that T lymphocytes can be accurately enumerated by cytochemical evaluation of ANAE activity in human lymphocytes and suggested the usefulness of BG activity in the enumeration of T lymphocytes in man.