Rat natural killer cell and cytotoxic T cell lysis of H-2-negative murine embryonal carcinoma cells.
H-2-lacking murine embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells have been proposed as universal targets for natural killer (NK) effectors from different species because their killing appeared to be uncomplicated by potential T cell effector mechanisms (Stern, P. L. et al., Int. J. Cancer 1981. 27:679). While some previous studies had shown that murine cytotoxic T cells were unable to lyse EC cells, rat T killers are shown here to be active against these targets and to be distinguishable from NK cells. Percoll density fractionation of rat peripheral blood lymphocytes enriches in parallel for NK-mediated lysis of both EC or YAC target cells. These NK cells unlike T cells, do not mediate lectin-dependent and cell-mediated cytotoxicity (LDCC) of NK-insensitive target cells. This procedure is thought to reveal the total cytolytic potential of stimulated T cell populations, regardless of specificity. In contrast to previous results with mice, we found that allogeneically primed rat cytotoxic T cells can kill murine EC cells in LDCC and, further, that rat cytotoxic T cells, generated by stimulation with mouse spleen cells in vitro, can lyse murine EC cells directly. This demonstration of T cell lysis of EC cells suggests that either there is a novel mechanism of lysis operating without requirement for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) structures, or EC cells express some hitherto unidentified MHC-like structures on their cell surface.
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D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002469:Cell Separation; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D054278:Embryonal Carcinoma Stem Cells; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D037102:Lectins / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013724:Teratoma / Q000276:immunology*
D006183:H-2 Antigens; D037102:Lectins