title: Mycobacteria-reactive Lyt-2+ T cell lines.
abstract: The biological activities of mycobacteria-reactive Lyt-2+ T cells were characterized in vitro. T cells from mice immunized with killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis or viable M. bovis were restimulated in vitro and cloned under limiting dilution conditions. Several L3T4-Lyt-2+ T cell lines, some of them KJ16+, were established. These T cell lines were capable of lysing mycobacteria-primed macrophages in an antigen-specific way. The cytolytic activity of some T cell lines was found to be class I restricted, whereas others showed antigen-specific killing in the absence of apparent H-2 restriction. Several T cell lines produced interferon-gamma after appropriate stimulation. Furthermore, these T cell lines could induce tuberculostatic macrophage capacities by apparently two different mechanisms, namely by secretion of lymphokines (most probably interferon-gamma) and by direct cell contact. We conclude that CD8 T cells with antigen-specific cytolytic potential are generated during tuberculosis and that these T cells are involved in the immune response to tubercle bacilli.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000276:immunology*; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000950:Antigens, Ly; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D000939:Epitopes; D006183:H-2 Antigens; D008222:Lymphokines; D007371:Interferon-gamma