T-cell-derived helper factor allows Lyt 123 thymocytes to differentiate into cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

IT is generally accepted that the diversity of T-cell responsiveness is generated in the thymus1. It is also known that except for a few Lyt 1 cells all thymocytes express the Lyt 123 phenotype2,3. Surprisingly, thymocytes are poorly responsive in vitro4, and only the medullary thymocytes, comprising 5–10% of the total thymic cell population, show an in vitro responsiveness comparable with that of peripheral T cells5. Cortical thymocytes, comprising 90–95% of all thymocytes, have previously been considered to be immature and immunologically incompetent4. The result reported here show that thymocytes are able to generate alloantigen-, virus- and hapten-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL),…