A rapid method for the isolation of functional thymus‐derived murine lymphocytes

Abstract A rapid method is described for effectively removing immunoglobulin‐bearing cells from either primed or unprimed mouse spleen and lymph node cell suspensions. Incubation of cell suspensions in nylon wool columns for 45 min at 37 °C resulted in a 9 to 100‐fold depletion of immunoglobulin‐bearing cells and a complementary 1.5 to 2‐fold enrichment of T cells in the column effluent populations. The effluent population, derived from passage of spleen cells through these columns, was virtually devoid of B precursor and memory cell activity, but contained all of the helper cell and cytotoxic effector cell precursor activity when compared to unfractionated spleen cells.