Rosette formation of human null lymphocytes with Rhesus monkey erythrocytes.

Human null lymphocytes which lack B- and T-lymphocyte markers were found to form spontaneous rosettes with uncoated Rhesus monkey erythrocytes. Rosette-forming null lymphocytes were determined in null lymphocyte-enriched preparations of healthy persons and of patients with lymphoproliferative diseases. Quantitative determinations of these rosette-forming lymphocytes and other cells bearing B- or T-cell markers showed that some, and not all, of the null lymphocytes possess this rosette-forming capacity. The possibility of these null lymphocytes being related to T lymphocytes, but at a different cellular stage, is discussed.