Human T cell differentiation antigens and correlation of their expression with various markers of T cell maturation.

Two sets of differentiation antigens are demonstrated on human T cells by using 11 heterologous anti-human antisera raised against various normal and malignant T cells. The two antigenic determinants from the first set of differentiation antigens are expressed only on thymus cells and on T lymphoblasts, whereas the two antigenic determinants from the second set are expressed on blood T cells, Sezary cells, T.CLL cells, and thymus cells. Four T cell phenotypes are thus defined; two phenotypes are expressed only by T lymphoblasts, whereas the other two phenotypes are expressed both by normal and malignant T cells. Moreover, a clear-cut relationship exists between the four T cell antigenic phenotypes and two other markers of T cell differentiation: terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase and peanut agglutinin. Two phenotypes are linked with the presence of TdT, one phenotype is linked with the affinity for PNA, and the fourth phenotype is correlated with the absence of both markers.