Bone Marrow Lymphocytes: Their Isolation,Colony-Forming Capacity and Graft-Versus-Host Potential I. The Isolation and Characterization of Subpopulations of Bone Marrow Lymphocytes 1

Abstract

Summary

Bone marrow cells sedimented through a linear sucrose gradient containing fetal calf serum, separated into four major fractions. Three of these were lymphocyte-rich fractions that may be as high as 99 percent pure. About 40 percent of total marrow lymphocytes (originally 25-28 percent) were removed in these three fractions. The technique offers the advantage of short sedimentation intervals (5 minutes) and high reproducibility in the purity and yield of lymphocytes. The technique isolates lymphocytes in a one-step procedure and further subdivides the lymphocytes on the basis of differences in sedimentation and proliferative characteristics. The availability of a technique that may differentiate subpopulations of bone marrow lymphocytes should stimulate future investigations aimed at clarifying the differentiative and functional capacities of these cells.