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T lymphocytes from normal human peritoneum are phenotypically different from their counterparts in peripheral blood and CD3 − lymphocyte subsets contain mRNA for the recombination activating gene RAG‐1
Author(s) -
Hartmann Johannes,
Maaßen Volker,
Rieber Peter,
Fricke Harald
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
european journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1521-4141
pISSN - 0014-2980
DOI - 10.1002/eji.1830250933
Subject(s) - biology , cd8 , microbiology and biotechnology , cd3 , population , cd19 , t lymphocyte , antigen , immunology , lymphocyte , t cell , cytotoxic t cell , immune system , in vitro , genetics , medicine , environmental health
Abstract The surface antigens of peritoneal lymphocytes of healthy human individuals were studied. B lineage cells comprised 2.3% of the total peritoneal lymphocyte population. Although the majority of peritoneal cavity lymphocyte (PCL) T cells expressed αβ T cell receptor (TcR), up to 17% expressed γδ TcR. The majority of PCL exhibited markers of the thymus‐dependent lineage (CD2 + CD3 + Tcαβ + CD4 + or CD8α + β + ) and surface antigens associated with memory and activation (CD45RO + CD11a + CD18 + CD49d + HLA‐DR). Up to 92% of both CD4 + and CD8 + T cells bore CDw60, thus characterizing the T cell subset containing helper activity for mitogen‐driven B cell differentiation. The majority of PCL T cells were CD8 + and, in addition, up to 60% of this population expressed the homodimeric CD8α + β − . Messenger RNA for the recombination activating gene RAG‐1 was examined in CD3 − PCL depleted of CD19 + lineage cells. The PCL population which comprised cells containing RAG‐1 mRNA transcripts was CD19 − , surface IgM − , cytoplasmic IgM − and CD2 − CD3 − CD4 − CD8 − CD56 − . However, this population was CD7 + (approx. 75%), and contained both CD7 − CD34 + (up to 3%) and CD7 + CD34 + (up to 3%) cells. These findings are compatible with the hypothesis that the adult human peritoneum provides a microenvironment capable of supporting a thymus‐indenpendent differentiation of T lymphocytes.