T lymphocyte control of autoreactivity: analysis with human T cell clones and limiting dilution culture.
To investigate cellular mechanisms controlling activated autoreactive T lymphocytes, a limiting dilution system was established employing cloned autoreactive major histocompatibility complex class II specific lymphocytes (a2/7) as stimulator cells for autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells. At low responder/stimulator ratios, cytotoxic effector cells were generated capable of lysing clone a2/7. Importantly, within the population of cells mediating autocytotoxic effector function, differential specificities were found to exist. The generation of such autocytotoxic T lymphocytes appears to be inhibited by an additional population of cells circulating at lower frequency suggesting that autoreactivity is controlled at distinct levels by discrete functional cellular subsets.
D002450:Cell Communication; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II