Cloned human CD3⁻ lymphocytes with natural killerlike activity do not express nor rearrange T cell receptor gamma genes

Here we report the characterization of T cell receptor (TCR) gene activation in 14 CD3⁻ cloned lymphocytes with natural killer-like activity from different origins. No transcription of either α or β or γ genes is detected in any of these clones. All J_β, C_β clusters are in germ-line configuration. The 5 presently described J_γ loci (J_γP₁, J_γP, J_γ1, J_γP₂, J_γ2) are also in germ-line configuration on each chromosome. These results indicate that several distinct populations of CD3₋ cloned NK cells do not use γ gene products as a recognition structure. Perhaps more importantly, these cells do not appear to be engaged in the earliest presently known stage of T lymphocyte differentiation, namely rearrangement at one of the Jγ loci.