Effect of interleukin 2 on fetal thymocytes in organ cultures: generation of lymphokine-activated killer cells.
Cells with cytolytic activity can be detected in mouse fetal thymic lobes cultured in the presence of interleukin 2 for 6 days. The lymphokine-activated killer cells from 14-day fetal thymic lobes are relatively resistant to treatment with anti-Ly-2 antibody and complement (CD8-) but sensitive to anti-Thy-1 and complement treatment (Thy-1+). They display major histocompatibility complex-unrestricted killing, lysing both syngeneic and allogeneic tumor cells, but will not lyse human xenogenic target cells. Low levels of cytotoxic activity can be detected in thymic lobes from Day 12-13 embryos and this activity increases with embryonic age. While the events which lead to the inhibition of normal maturation of fetal thymocytes by inclusion of IL-2 in fetal thymus organ cultures are unknown, the appearance of cytotoxic cells raises the question of whether they are involved in the normal intrathymic cell death process.
D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly; D002460:Cell Line; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D012515:Mast-Cell Sarcoma / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010641:Phenotype; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology
D000950:Antigens, Ly; D007376:Interleukin-2