Isolation of an early T-cell precursor (CFU-TL) from human bone marrow
JM Bertho, MD Mossalayi, AH Dalloul, G Mouterde and P Debre
Laboratoire d'Immunologie Cellulaire, CNRS URA 186, hopital Pitie-
Salpetriere, Paris, France.
CD2-CD3-CD4-CD8- human bone marrow (BM) cells were previously shown to
generate T-cell clones in vitro. This capacity was abolished after
treatment of this population with anti-CD7 monoclonal antibody and
complement. In this study, using rosetting with sheep erythrocytes,
complement-dependent cytotoxicity, and specific immunoadherence method, we
isolated a minor BM subset that contained more than 80% CD7+CD2-CD3-
CD4-CD8- cells with small lymphoid cell morphology. They comprised most
early T-cell precursors (CFU-TL) as they displayed high capacity to
generate T-cell clones when cultured in limiting dilutions. CFU-TL nature
of these cells was also confirmed by the sequential expression of mature
T-cell specific markers on their surface after in vitro induction. This BM
subset also contained 2% to 3% CFU-GM precursors. Together, these results
pointed to the existence of BM CD7+CD2- precursors with high
differentiation potential and showed the commitment of most of them to
T-cell lineage.
Volume 75,
Issue 5,
pp. 1064-1068,
03/01/1990
Copyright © 1990 by The American Society of Hematology
