The presence of two distinct T-cell receptors (TCR) alpha/beta dimers or gamma/delta dimers, was systematically analyzed in peripheral blood lymphocytes form 26 recipients of allogeneic bone marrow transplants for leukemia. When using monoclonal antibody WT31, which recognizes a common epitope on the alpha/beta heterodimer, the expansion of peripheral CD3+, WT31- cells to 40% of the PBLSs was detected in two patients. In patient 2, the presence of circulating TCR gamma-bearing cells was directly demonstrated with monoclonal antibody Ti gamma A directed against the V gamma 9 J gamma p gene products. From CD3, WT31- clones derived from patients 1 and 2, sequential immunoprecipitations were performed with anti-CD3 and anti-C gamma to determine the CD3-associated structure. Molecular weights of gamma subunits were different in both patients, thus indicating structural heterogeneity. The ability of TCR gamma clones to proliferate when stimulated with anti-CD3 beads was observed for clones from patient 2, whereas this response required exogenous interleukin-2 for clones from patient 1. We have already shown that the TCR gamma cells from patient 1 might have played a role in the immunodeficient state. Similar conclusions cannot be drawn from patient 2. Southern blot analysis of total PBL gamma cell lines and clones indicated that this major circulating subset of TCR gamma cells retained a TCR beta gene in germline configuration and preferentially expressed a single V gamma gene, V gamma 5 for patient 1 and V gamma 9 for patient 2.