IDENTIFICATION OF T-LIKE AND B-LIKE LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS IN SEA STAR ASTERIAS-RUBENS BY MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES TO HUMAN-LEUKOCYTES

The axial organ of sea star Asterias rubens is a primitive immune orga n. The total cell population was fractionated into two populations: ad herent (B-like) and non-adherent cells (T-like) to nylon wool. These t wo cell subsets were previously defined as functionally acting as mamm als T and B cells. In the present report, we pointed out that these T and B-like cells can be identified using mouse to human monoclonal ant ibodies. Reproducible results were obtained with anti-CD7 monoclonal a ntibody which detects the T-like cell subset and with anti-CD14 antibo dy that characterizes the B-like population.