When quiescent murine T‐lymphocyte cells were stimulated by the addition of interleukin 2 (IL‐2), they reinitiated DNA synthesis after a lag period of 5 h. Under these conditions, rapid but transient phosphorylation of two cellular proteins with M r, values of 27000 and 26000 was detected; maximal phosphorylation occurred within 10–15 min after the addition of IL‐2. The protein of M r, 27 000 contained phosphoserine, while the protein of M r 26000 contained phosphothreonine.

In an attempt to facilitate the long-term proliferative growth and subsequent cloning of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL's) against syngeneic murine 203-glioma (20-methylcholanthrene-induced ependymoblastoma of C57BL/6 mouse origin), sensitized T lymphocytes from tumor-bearing mice were cultured in the presence of T cell growth factor (TCGF). Of five clones established by a limiting dilution technique, two clones (G-CTLL 1 and 2) exhibited tumor-specific cytotoxicity. G-CTLL 1 cells, which possessed much higher cytotoxic activity than G-CTLL 2 cells, were further analyzed. G-CTLL 1 cells were maintained in a TCGF-dependent exponential proliferative culture for over 18 months and continued to mediate an extremely high cytotoxic activity with the target specificity (50- to 100-fold increases over the peak cytotoxic activity of sensitized T lymphocytes in tumor-bearing mice). Their phenotypes of surface antigens were Thy-1+ (weak positive), Lyt-1.-2.+3+, and asialo-GM1-, and their cytotoxicity was blocked by adding only anti-Lyt-2 monoclonal antibodies. These results indicated that the cloned cells originated from CTL's. The cloned cells were characterized by the production of immune interferon with the glioma antigen-stimulation, suggesting that the immune interferon could enhance the cytotoxic activity of the CTL clone at the site of a clone-target cell recognition event.

Cells from eight patients with adult T cell leukemia (ATL) and from four patients with non-ATL were examined to see if the T3 antigen of these cells could be modulated in vitro. We found a low density of T3 antigen and the presence of Tac antigen on cells from all patients with ATL. The density of T3 antigen on non-ATL cells was normal, and Tac antigen was not detected. Modulation of T3 antigen and an increase in Tac antigen-positive cells occurred when cells from patients with T4 non-ATL were cultured with OKT3 monoclonal antibody (mAb). Those changes in T3 antigen density and the appearance of Tac antigen-bearing cells by OKT3 mAb were not so marked when ATL cells were used. But the modulation of T3 antigen and the increase in Tac antigen-bearing cells by OKT3 mAb were closely related in cells from six ATL patients. These findings suggest that T3 T cell antigen receptor complexes on ATL cells are not functionally “frozen” by leukemic changes and might be modulated in vivo. In addition, modulation of T3 surface antigen on ATL cells was not induced by cultivation with human T cell leukemia virus type I particles and envelope proteins obtained by gene technology.

The authors have established a murine malignant glioma-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte clone (G-CTLL 1) by T cell growth factor (TCGF) using 203-glioma (a methylcholanthrene-induced ependymoblastoma of C57BL/6 mouse origin). The cloned cells were found to release a large amount of gamma interferon (IFN) in response to glioma-associated antigen-specific stimulation. The authors have investigated whether the IFN produced can contribute to killing the target cells. Adding anti-mouse gamma IFN antibody to the mixed clone-target cell culture inhibited IFN production by the cloned cells but the toxicity of the cells was minimally diminished. Therefore, it is suggested that the endogenous gamma IFN produced by the TCGF-dependent cloned cytotoxic T lymphocyte line does not have direct cytotoxic action on the target cells. Furthermore, IFN production as well as cytotoxicity was blocked by anti-Lyt-2 monoclonal antibody in the absence of complement. This suggests that IFN plays a role in the process of antigen recognition of target cells because the Lyt-2 molecule is involved in an antigen-specific function on the cytotoxic T lymphocyte receptor. The role of TCGF in gamma IFN production was also investigated. The spontaneous production of gamma IFN by the cloned cells paralleled the amounts of exogenous TCGF added to the cultures, but TCGF had no synergistic effect on IFN production in the presence of mitogen or tumor antigen. Accordingly, it is possible that TCGF stimulates the cloned cells to proliferate, causing IFN release.