Phenotype of thymocyte populations in C57BL/Ka mice during the development of radiation-induced lymphomas

In C57BL/Ka mice, irradiated with 4 weekly X-ray doses of 1,75 Gy, the phenotype of thymocyte populations was analyzed with monoclonal antibodies, lectins and flow cytometry. Four successive phases were defined: a) early after irradiation, a depletion of radiosensitive cortical thymocytes with a relative enrichment for radioresistant medullary type cells; b) a regeneration phase, during which thymocytes express the cortical immature phenotype; c) a third period, with a relative increase of a population with medullary phenotype; d) a late phase, during which thymocytes with the same phenotype as lymphoma cells accumulate.