title: Adoptively transferred antigen-specific T cells can be grown and maintained in large numbers in vivo for extended periods of time by intermittent restimulation with specific antigen plus IL-2.
abstract: The aim of the current study was to determine whether cultured tumor Ag-specific T cells could be induced to grow and maintained functional in large numbers in vivo by intermittent restimulation in vivo with specific Ag plus IL-2. T cells derived from spleens of B6 mice (Thy-1.2) immune to FBL-3, a Friend virus-induced leukemia, were activated by in vitro stimulation with irradiated FBL-3 and expanded by culture for 14 days with low concentrations of IL-2. The resultant FBL-3-specific T cell lines were adoptively transferred into cyclophosphamide pretreated congenic hosts (B6/Thy-1.1), and restimulated every 14 days by an injection of irradiated FBL-3 plus a 7-day course of IL-2. Donor T cells residing in the host were identified and quantified by use of antibody to the Thy-1.2 allele. The results confirmed that stimulation with FBL-3 on the day of transfer (day 0) plus IL-2 on days 0 to 6 induced rapid growth of donor T cells to approximately an 11-fold increase in total donor T cell number recoverable from host ascites and spleen by day 7. However, prolonging the course of IL-2 administration to 35 days did not maintain the number or the specific cytolytic function of donor T cells. By contrast, intermittent restimulation with specific Ag plus IL-2 induced intermittent regrowth of donor T cells in vivo, maintained the number of donor T cells in vivo at greater than the number input for longer than 1 mo, and allowed detection of substantially augmented donor T cell-mediated specific antitumor function over that period of time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Reese
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cheever
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002455:Cell Division; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D007376:Interleukin-2