title: Enhanced expansion of the thymic CD8+ cell subset as a potential mechanism for the generation of enhanced antitumor cytotoxicity by thymocytes from low-dose melphalan-treated MOPC-315 tumor bearers.
abstract: We have previously shown that thymocytes from low-dose melphalan (L-phenylalanine mustard)-treated MOPC-315-tumor-bearing mice (melphalan TuB) are able to generate an enhanced level of anti-MOPC-315 cytotoxicity, as compared to thymocytes from untreated MOPC-315-tumor-bearing mice or thymocytes from untreated or low-dose melphalan-treated normal mice, upon in vitro stimulation with MOPC-315 tumor cells in the presence of a low concentration of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2). Here we show that the generation of enhanced anti-MOPC-315 cytotoxicity by melphalan TuB thymocytes depends on the ability of the thymocytes to proliferate. In addition, the ability of melphalan TuB thymocytes to generate an enhanced level of anti-MOPC-315 cytotoxicity correlated with their ability to proliferate more readily than thymocytes from untreated tumor-bearing mice and thymocytes from untreated or melphalan-treated normal mice in response to stimulation with MOPC-315 tumor cells plus a low concentration of rIL-2. Moreover, although fresh melphalan TuB thymocytes do not contain a higher percentage of phenotypically mature cells (i.e., CD4-/CD8+ or CD4+/CD8-) than do thymocytes from normal mice or untreated tumor-bearing mice, after a 5-day culture with both MOPC-315 tumor cells and a low concentration of rIL-2, cultures of thymocytes from melphalan TuB contained a much higher percentage of CD4-/CD8+ (but not CD4+/CD8-) cells than did cultures of thymocytes from the other two sources. Since CD4-/CD8+ cells were previously shown to be responsible for the exertion of antitumor cytotoxicity by thymocytes stimulated with MOPC-315 in vitro, our results indicate that the enhanced antitumor cytotoxicity exerted by melphalan TuB thymocytes following in vitro stimulation with MOPC-315 tumor cells in the presence of a low concentration of rIL-2 is due, at least in part, to an expansion of the pool of CD4-/CD8+ effector cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois, Chicago 60680.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bartik
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Baumgartel-Scofield
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Mokyr
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010954:Plasmacytoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D013945:Thymoma / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016827:CD8 Antigens; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D008558:Melphalan