Nonspecific esterase activity in T cells.

Acid alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase activity characterizes the majority of peripheral T cells in mice. In addition to the simplicity of the cyto- or histochemical demonstration of esterase activity and the fact that this method may be applied to tissue sections and smears, the present study indicates that combination with lymphocyte surface markers may offer an important approach to the examination of differentiation pathways of peripheral T cells.