Measles virus-specific murine T cell clones: characterization of fine specificity and function.
Measles virus (MV)-specific murine helper T cell clones (Thy-1.2+, CD4+, CD8-) were generated from mice immunized with MV-infected mouse brain homogenate by limiting dilution and in vitro stimulation of spleen cells with UV-inactivated MV Ag. The protein specificity of 7 out of 37 stable T cell clones, which displayed MHC-restricted MV Ag recognition, could be assessed by using purified MV proteins. Two fusion (F) protein-specific, two hemagglutinin-specific, and three nucleoprotein- or matrix protein-specific clones were shown to be established. The F protein-specific T cell clones together with a panel of previously generated F protein-specific T cell clones were characterized for their fine specificity by using beta-galactosidase fusion products, which contained different parts of the F protein. It was shown that at least two epitopes on the major part of the F protein (amino acid 2-513) can be recognized by mouse T cells. Functional characterization of three T cell clones showed that they were able to assist MV-specific B cells and bystander B cells for antibody production. Furthermore, they were shown to produce the lymphokines IL-2 and IFN-gamma. It was also shown that these T cell clones induced a MV-specific delayed type hypersensitivity response. These observations suggest that all of the T cell clones characterized belong to the TH1 helper subset.
de Vries
P
P
Department of Immunobiology, National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
Versteeg-van Oosten
J P
JP
Visser
I K
IK
van Binnendijk
R S
RS
Langeveld
S A
SA
Osterhaus
A D
AD
Uytdehaag
F G
FG
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002999:Clone Cells; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed; D008459:Measles virus / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology
D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins