Cyclosporin A abrogates proliferation of T cells and generation of suppressor and cytotoxic T-cell function induced by Epstein-Barr virus.
Cyclosporin A (CYA) promotes the outgrowth in vitro of Epstein-Barr-virus(EBV)-infected cells of immune donors. In the present study, the effects of CYA on the T-cell responses developed to an in-vitro EBV infection were studied. Cyclosporin A, by acting on the responder cells and not on stimulator cells, strongly inhibited the proliferation of T cells normally induced by EBV-infected autologous cells. Moreover, T cells from cultures not exposed to CYA exerted suppression on both alloantigen-induced DNA synthesis and PWM-stimulated immunoglobulin producton of autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In contrast, T cells from cultures treated with CYA exhibited significantly less or no suppressor activity as determined in both indicator system. Finally, CYA abrogated the generation of cytotoxic T cells against EBV-infected autologous cells, whereas non-CYA -treated T cells killed the virus-transformed target cells. Both suppressor and cytotoxic T-cell functions are known to play an essential role in the control of EBV infection by limiting the continuous growth of the virus-infected cells. These results, therefore, stongly suggest that cyclosporin A promotes the outgrowth of EBV-infected cells by abrogating the T-cell responses to the Epstein-Barr virus.
D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral / Q000187:drug effects; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D012756:Sheep; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
D003524:Cyclosporins