Physical discrimination between human T-lymphocyte subpopulations by means of light scattering, revealing two populations of T8-positive cells.

Light-scattering properties of human T-lymphocyte subpopulations selected by immunofluorescence were studied. Based on differences in orthogonal light scattering, two subpopulations of T8-positive cells can be distinguished. The first population (T8a) has the same orthogonal light-scattering properties as T4-positive cells, whereas the orthogonal light scattering of the second population (T8b) was about 70% larger. Orthogonal light scattering of Leu7-positive lymphocytes resembles that of the T8b population. We have studied the occurrence of the subpopulation in healthy individuals and we discuss their possible functional identification. Light-scattering properties of lymphocyte subpopulations in two patients with B-cell chronic lymphatic leukemia suggest that this observation is of clinical interest.