Cell surface antigens as differentiation markers of the B lymphocyte lineage

In this study no inhibitory effect of anti-T and anti-B sera on rosette forming cells (RFC) was found to show complementation. This may indicate that T-RFC represent a special class of cells having both B and T antigenic determinants. This population could possibly originate from the small population of B-like cells found in the thymus. Alternatively, T-RFC may express B-like properties characteristic of activated T cells. It now seems that on activation T lymphocytes may display Fc receptors on their cell surfaces. Moreover, while normal mouse T cells are unaffected by anti-MBLA serum, following activation T cells become sensitive to the cytotoxic effect of this serum. Thus, while distinct lymphocyte subpopulations show a well-defined pattern of reactivity with heterologous antisera, there is a possibility that their reactivity may change as a result of stimuli triggering activation or malignant transformation.