title: T helper cells in cytotoxic T lymphocyte development: analysis of the cellular basis for deficient T helper cell function in the L3T4-independent T helper cell pathway.
abstract: In this present study, lymphokine (IL-2/IL-4) production in VSV-induced Th cell (L3T4+Lyt-2- VSV-immune T cells) and memory CTL populations (L3T4-Lyt-2+ VSV-immune T cells) has been assessed in order to gain some understanding as to why the Lyt-2+ subset (L3T4-independent Th cell pathway) fails to provide Th cell function for anti-VSV CTL responses. Our studies demonstrated that following specific antigen (VSV, H-2 antigen) or mitogen stimulation, lymphokine activity was detected in the supernatants obtained from VSV-induced Th but not VSV memory CTL populations. The presence of blocking concentrations of PC61, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R), revealed augmented lymphokine activity only in the VSV-induced Th cell supernatant. VSV-induced Th cells secreted both IL-2 and IL-4 following stimulation with VSV. Two lines of evidence supported the view that both these lymphokines were important for an anti-VSV CTL response: (1) mAb to either IL-2 or IL-4 inhibited CTL maturation and (2) the combination of exogenous IL-2 and IL-4 reconstituted a class I-restricted. VSV-specific CTL response in Th cell-depleted T cell cultures. The failure to detect lymphokine production in bulk cultures of the VSV memory CTL population was consistent with limiting dilution (LD) analysis of lymphokine-producing cells in the spleen of VSV-immune mice. Thus, approximately 1/15,000 Lyt-2-depleted, VSV-immune T cells were positive for lymphokine production following VSV stimulation, whereas less than 1/1,000,000 L3T4-depleted, VSV-immune T cells were scored as lymphokine-secreting cells following stimulation with this same virus. Similarly, precursor estimates for lymphokine-producing cells against allogeneic class I antigens demonstrated that the majority of lymphokine-producing cells also resided in the L3T4+ subset. Lymphokine-secreting Lyt-2+ cells were detected at low but not high cell densities suggesting that Lyt-2+ cells may secrete another lymphokine(s) that inhibits IL-2/IL-4 production. Thus, these studies demonstrate an obligatory requirement for the L3T4-dependent Th cell pathway for optimal CTL responses derived from either CTLp or memory CTLs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk 23501.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ciavarra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000502:physiology*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000032:analysis; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000502:physiology*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000502:physiology*; D007519:Isoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000502:physiology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000502:physiology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000502:physiology*; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D007376:Interleukin-2; D007519:Isoantigens; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4