All human gamma delta T cells coexpressing the products of the variable (V) region T cell receptor (TCR) gene segments V gamma 9 and V delta 2 recognize antigens from mycobacterial extracts and Daudi cells. Exogenous and endogenous ligands on the cell surface, homologous to the groEL heat shock family, induced reactivities that resembled superantigen responses in this major subset of human peripheral blood gamma delta T cells. Stimulation of human V gamma 9/V delta 2 T cells is not restricted by human leukocyte antigens (HLA), including nonpolymorphic beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2M)-associated class Ib molecules. These data may be important for understanding the role of gamma delta T cells in autoimmunity and in responses to microorganisms and tumors.

Non-MHC-restricted killer cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes that can mediate cytolysis of most tumor targets without apparent selectivity and restriction by the MHC, particularly when activated with IL-2. These effector cells include predominantly NK cells and T cells expressing the TCR-gamma/delta. We found that TCR-gamma/delta-1+, delta TSC1-, BB3+, Ti gamma A+ T cell clones mediate a characteristic cytolytic pattern of non-MHC-restricted cytolysis that is markedly different from NK clones and alpha/beta T cell clones derived from the peripheral blood of the same normal individuals. The characteristic finding is that all BB3/Ti gamma A+ gamma/delta clones mediate strong cytolysis of Daudi cells but they do not lyse Raji cells. In contrast, NK clones from the same donors mediate strong cytolysis of both Daudi and Raji targets. Cytotoxicity by the gamma/delta clones on certain target cells such as Daudi and Molt 4 can be specifically inhibited by mAbs reactive against the TCR-gamma/delta. Therefore, the TCR-gamma/delta on these clones either directly recognizes target epitopes on some tumor targets or it is involved in the regulation of their cytotoxic function. The expression of TCR-gamma/delta products reacting with the BB3 and Ti gamma A mAbs reflects the usage of identical TCR-gamma/delta V region genes that appear to be associated with the characteristic pattern of non-MHC-restricted cytotoxicity displayed by this major subset of human peripheral blood gamma/delta cells.

Naive and primed alpha beta T cells can be distinguished on the basis of their differential expression of CD45RA and CD45RO, respectively. The present study indicates that these CD45-isoforms also identify naive and primed maturational stages of gamma delta T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. In peripheral blood, all V gamma 9-V delta 2 gamma delta T cells reportedly express CD45RO whereas all V delta gamma delta T cells lack CD45RO. Here, we show that these CD45RO- V delta gamma delta T cells all express CD45RA and the CD45RO+ V.9-V delta 2 gamma delta cells lack expression of CD45RA. The V delta T cells acquired CD45RO expression and lost part of their surface CD45RA, following in vitro activation with phytohaemagglutinin or IL-2. Also the CD3-CD16+ NK cells in peripheral blood that are uniformly CD45RA+ CD45RO- completely converted to the CD45RA-CD45RO+ phenotype upon in vitro activation. Moreover, all cloned V.9-V delta 2 and V delta 1 T cells and NK cells express CD45RO and lack expression of CD45RA. Our results strongly suggest that CD45RA and CD45RO are genuine markers for naive and primed lymphocytes that represent distinct differentiation lineages.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) were used to characterize a panel (n = 46) of T cell receptor (TcR) gamma/delta+ T cell clones. Three of these antibodies have been described to react with specific variable region-encoded protein products and can therefore be used to detect functional gene rearrangements. The majority of peripheral blood-derived clones (43 out of 45) expressed the epitopes recognized by mAb BB3, encoded by the V delta 2 gene segment and mAb Ti gamma A, encoded by the V gamma 9 gene segment. These clones lacked the antigenic determinant recognized by mAb delta-TCS-1, encoded by the V delta 1 gene segment. The other two peripheral blood-derived clones and an ascites-derived clone were Ti gamma A-, BB3- and delta-TCS-1+. Biochemical analysis revealed that all Ti gamma A+, BB3+ T cell clones expressed the disulfide-linked form of the receptor. The two peripheral blood-derived delta-TCS-1+ T cell clones expressed the nondisulfide-linked form whereas the ascites-derived delta-TCS-1+ clone, AK119 expressed the disulfide-linked form of the TcR gamma/delta heterodimer. This indicates that V delta 1-encoded delta chains can be associated either with a C gamma 1- or a C gamma 2-encoded gamma chain. The preferential use of certain V gamma and V delta gene segments suggests the existence of a limited combinatorial diversity in TcR gamma/delta heterodimers, i.e. Ti gamma A+ (V gamma 9), BB3+ (V delta 2) and delta-TCS-1- disulfide-linked heterodimers and Ti gamma A-, BB3- and delta-TCS-1+ (V delta 1) disulfide- or non disulfide-linked forms.

Targeting of immune cells by bispecific antibodies has proven a powerful tool for the investigation of cellular cytotoxicity, lymphocyte activation and induction of cytokine production, as well as to represent an innovative form of immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer. The hallmark of this approach is the use of the specificity of monoclonal antibodies to join target and immune cells by virtue of the dual specificity of bispecific antibodies for the two entities. More precisely the bispecific antibody has two different binding sites, which are capable of recognizing tumor associated antigens on the one hand and lymphocyte activation sites on the other. This process of crosslinking results in the activation of the lymphocyte and triggering of its lytic machinery, as well as lymphokine production. A major advantage of this therapeutic modality is, that use is made of the normal cellular immune defence system and therefore is only associated with minor toxicity. The distinct lymphocyte populations, which can be used for adoptive immunotherapy and the various bispecific antibody preparations, as well as the chimeric immunoglobulin/T cell receptor construction are the major topics of this review.