Synthetic phospholipid vesicles containing a purified viral antigen and cell membrane proteins stimulate the development of cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
Synthetic phospholipid vesicles (liposomes) containing the purified glycoprotein (G) of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and solubilized membrane proteins from cells of the appropriate H-2 haplotype elicited H-2-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) that lysed VSV-infected target cells. The CTL were elicited by intact liposomes, not by released components. Thus, when spleen cells from VSV-primed H-2d X H-2b hybrid mice were stimulated with liposomes having G protein + membrane proteins from cells with one of the parental H-2 haplotypes, the resulting CTL lysed only VSV-infected target cells with that parent's H-2 type. This result argues against the view that T cells in general recognize only processed antigenic fragments on macrophages. Moreover, liposomes were only effective when G protein and cell membrane proteins were included in the same vesicles. This result suggests that for effective interaction with CTL precursors the antigen (G protein) and products of the H-2 complex must be closer to each other than 600--1,000 angstrom, the diameter of the lipid vesicles used in this study.
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008081:Liposomes / Q000276:immunology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000235:genetics; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000276:immunology
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D006183:H-2 Antigens; D008081:Liposomes; D008565:Membrane Proteins