[Lymphocyte heterogeneity of the T system: characterization of an allotypic antiserum recognizing a sub-species antigenic determinant in non-human primates].

To determine the membrane properties in T-lymphocyte population from Saguinus primates or lymphoblastoid cell lines of the same origin, an allotypic antiserum was prepared inoculating two Saguinus illigeri with 3.5 x 10(10) viable 70N2 cells obtained in-vitro, from a lymphoma induced by inoculation of Herpesvirus Saimiri in a Saguinus oedipus. The 70N2 cells carried the virus genome in an episomal way; it did not produce infectious virus and it formed spontaneous rosettes (99%) with sheep erythrocytes. The resulting allotypic antiserum inhibited the formation of E rosettes and specifically reacted with lymphoblastic T-cell lines and peripheral lymphocytes of Saguinus oedipus while it did not cross react with these cells or peripheral lymphocytes of S. illigeri or nigrifons, S. jacchus, Saimiri sciureus , Papio Sp. and human primates. These results show that two antigenic populations exist within Saguinus T-lymphocytes; one is common to all members of the species and the other is specific for subspecies related to the spontaneous rosette receptors and it is present in lymphoblastic cell lines-T of the same origin.