Phenotypic and functional characterization of allospecific and nonspecific (NK- and K-like) cytotoxic T lymphocytes generated in human mixed-lymphocyte cultures from noncytotoxic precursors

Two unique human leukemic T-cell lines endowed with a stable cytotoxic function and a different spectrum of target reactivity analysis and modulation of their lytic mechanisms

We have reported the establishment of two interleukin (IL)-2-dependent human leukemic cell lines (TALL-103/2 [CD3+TCR gamma delta +] and TALL-104 [CD3+ TCR alpha beta +]) which display major histocompatibility complex nonrestricted tumoricidal activity. Whereas TALL-103/2 cells lyse only natural killer cell-susceptible targets, TALL-104 cells display a broad range of tumor target reactivity. In reverse antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), lysis by both cell lines is triggered by monoclonal antibodies (mAb) recognizing CD3 and, to a lesser extent, CD2, but not CD8 or CD56 antigens. In conventional cytotoxic assays, the lytic activity of both cell lines is strictly Ca(2+)-dependent. In reverse ADCC, lysis by TALL-103/2 cells is highly dependent on the presence of Ca2+, whereas TALL-104 cells seem to only partially require extracellular Ca2+. The cytoplasm of both cell lines contains azurophilic granules typical of cytotoxic cells. Northern blot analysis demonstrates mRNA expression of pore-forming protein (PFP; perforin) and serine esterases (SE). The magnitude of expression of these transcripts and of lytic activity depends on the doses of IL-2. Upon deprivation of IL-2, TALL-103/2 cells completely lose cytotoxic granules and function within 16 h, whereas TALL-104 cells progressively lose expression of PFP and SE mRNA, as well as killer activity, within 4 wk. Both anti-CD3 mAb and lysable target cells induce efficient BLT-esterase secretion from TALL-103/2 and TALL-104 cells analogous to findings with conventional cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The stable expression of tumoricidal activity over 2 yr in culture renders these cell lines unique and very useful for studies on the regulation of cell-mediated lysis in vitro and in animal models.

X-linked codominant genes control all types of non-major histocompatibility complex-restricted cytotoxicity

In most individuals, natural killer (NK) activity is abolished after lymphocyte irradiation with 3,000 cGy, while lymphocytes from a minority of males retain 100% NK activity and lymphocytes from some females retain 50% NK activity after this dose. Radiation sensitivity of NK activity is controlled by X-linked codominant genes. The frequency of the allele that imparts resistance is 7%. We studied a unique family in which both parents have the resistant allele such that the father is completely resistant and the mother is partially resistant. The three offspring of this couple were one sensitive male, one partially resistant female, and one completely resistant female. The radiation sensitivity of nonspecific cytotoxic functions mediated by various types of effector cells from all five family members were evaluated in order to determine whether other cytotoxic functions were controlled by the same set of genes. The cytotoxic functions investigated were: NK and lymphokine-activated killing, anomalous killing and lectin-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Our data indicate that the radiation sensitivity of all types of nonspecific cytotoxic cells is under the same genetic control.

B cells from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients are strong inducers of proliferation and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-unrestricted [natural killer (NK)-like] cytotoxicity in normal T-lymphocytes

We studied the ability of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B cells to stimulate proliferation and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-unrestricted [natural killer (NK)-like] cytotoxicity in a mixed lymphocyte tumor-cell culture (MLTC). CLL-derived B cells induced a significantly higher proliferative response than did B cells from healthy normal donors. Comparable levels of interferon and interleukin-2 production were detected in the mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC) set up with normal B cells from healthy donors and in MLTC. Higher levels of NK-like cytotoxic activity were induced after stimulation with CLL than with normal B cells in nonlytic precursors. Inhibition experiments with specific monoclonal antibodies indicate that the NK-like response in MLTC is attributable to HLA class II antigens, which are expressed at comparable levels on CLL and normal B cells. Percoll gradient centrifugation of the MLC and MLTC recovered cells demonstrated that the NK-like effectors in both types of cultures were blast-transformed, highly mitotic cells.

Regulatory role of monomorphic and polymorphic determinants of HLA class I antigens in the proliferation of T cells stimulated by autologous and allogeneic B and T lymphoid cells

Monoclonal antibodies (mAb's) to monomorphic and polymorphic determinants of HLA Class I antigens were shown to inhibit proliferation of T cells stimulated with autologous and allogeneic B and T lymphocytes. Inhibition of proliferative responses was lower when T cells were used as stimulators than when B cells were used. The inhibitory activity was similar for mAb's to monomorphic and polymorphic determinants of HLA Class I antigens, suggesting that the density of antigen-antibody complexes on the cell membrane does not play a major role in the phenomenon. The anti-HLA Class I mAb's exerted their inhibitory effect at the level of both the responding and the stimulating cells. Addition of exogenous interleukin 2 to the mixed cultures did not affect the mAb-mediated inhibition.

Generation of non MHC restricted killing in non-cytotoxic T-lymphocytes from leukaemia patients

Experiments were undertaken to determine whether the depression of natural killer (NK) activity previously observed in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of leukaemia patients in remission extended to NK-like precursors in the blood. T-lymphocytes (E+) from leukaemia patients and normal subjects were depleted of IgG Fc-receptor-bearing (gamma FcR) fresh NK cells by passage over immune complex-coated monolayers. gamma FcR - E + PBL were cultured alone or with DAUDI cells. On day 5 of culture, cytotoxicity toward the NK-sensitive cell lines K562 and MOLT-4 was evaluated in the responder lymphocytes of leukaemia patients and controls. Negligible NK-like cytotoxicity was found in both FcR - E + PBL responder populations cultured alone. By contrast, stimulation with DAUDI induced high levels of K562 and MOLT-4 cytotoxicity in leukaemia as well as in normal responder cells. Complement-mediated cytotoxicity experiments using various McAb demonstrated that in both normal and leukaemia cultures NK-like effectors react with the pan-T OKT3 McAb and with the OKT11 McAB directed to the SRBC receptor, but not with Leu 1 1b and OKM1 McAbs, directed against antigens expressed on peripheral blood NK cells. Fractionation of the responder cells on discontinuous Percoll gradients showed that most of this activity was present in the highly dividing blast cell fraction.

Specific and non-specific components in the triggering of proliferative and cytotoxic responses of T lymphocytes with different cell density

We hve analyzed the functional behavior of lymphocyte subsets separated on the basis of cell density. Low and high density subpopulations were cultured in FCS, alone or with allogeneic irradiated PBL, and then examined for proliferation and cytotoxic activity against autologous (responder) and allogeneic (stimulator) PHA-induced blasts, K562 and Daudi. In the high density subset proliferation and generation of anti-K562 and anti-Daudi effects were induced by FCS and to higher extent by allospecific stimulation. Exposure to alloantigens induced allospecific cytotoxicity. Autologous PHA blasts were not affected. The results with the low density subset differed. Independently of the type of stimulus imposed, the low density fraction showed little if any proliferation, but its cytotoxic activity was stronger against all targets tested. In some of the experiments, anti-alloblast cytotoxicity was generated in the control cultures. Thus, polyclonal activation induced by FCS triggered in this fraction allospecific cytotoxicity. In this subset, the effect against allogeneic PHA blasts comprised a specific and a non-specific component because autologous PHA blasts were also lysed. Limiting dilution analysis involving allostimulation showed higher frequency of cytotoxic precursors in the low density subset. Split minicultures were tested for lysis of auto- and allogeneic blasts. Alloreactive cultures that did not lyse the autologous target were more frequent in the cultures initiated with the high density cells. There was no conclusive evidence for the existence of autoreactive cultures that did not lyse the allogeneic blasts.

Degradation of specificity in cytolytic T lymphocyte clones: two broad specificity, H-2-independent recognition systems, one natural killer-like, develop during culture, in addition to the clonally distributed antigen-specific receptor

Ly-2+ CBA mouse T lymphocytes stimulated with concanavalin A in limiting dilution culture produce clones of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) which, although initially specific, eventually lyse a wide range of target cells. The nature of the recognition system for this apparently "nonspecific" cytolysis was examined using a range of tumor cells as labeled targets and as cold target inhibitors. Most syngeneic and allogeneic murine tumor cells were lysed but the degree of lysis varied, even for different sublines of the same tumor. All tumor cells cold target inhibited their own lysis, and cross-inhibited lysis of other targets to varying degrees. The recognition stage of "nonspecific" cytolysis appeared to be independent of target cell H-2 expression; some H-2-negative murine target cells were lysed and some were not, but all gave cold target inhibition of "nonspecific" cytolysis. Xenogeneic tumor cells were resistant to lysis, but some nevertheless gave cold target inhibition of the "nonspecific" cytolysis of murine targets. A study of the specificity of cold target cross-inhibition revealed two distinct patterns of recognition which existed simultaneously in "nonspecific" CTL; one was like that of natural killer cells and was directed to targets such as YAC-1, the other was distinct from that of natural killer cells and was directed to targets such as P815. Thus, murine CTL may express three distinct receptors, the clonally distributed, H-2-restricted, antigen-specific T cell receptor and two different "broad-range" receptors common to most clones.

Natural killer-like activity mediated by activated T lymphocytes

Diverse types of lymphocytes mediate in vitro cytotoxic activity. In addition to CTLs (cytotoxic T lymphocytes) and NK (natural killer) cells which differ in their activation requirements, target specificities, and lytic mechanisms, a natural killer-like activity of activated cells (A-NK) has recently been described. The data presented here suggest that an activated T lymphocyte can mediate A-NK activity. A-NK activity can be separated from resting NK activity by its requirement for activation and an effector phenotype (T12+,Ia+,Mol-) which includes the presence of the T12 and Ia antigens and the absence of the Mol antigen. In contrast, resting NK activity is mediated by T12-,Ia-,Mol+ cells. Cells that mediate A-NK activity can be differentiated from CTLs by their differing kinetics of activation and susceptibility to inhibition by monoclonal antibodies. An additional distinguishing feature is the fact that A-NK cells are predominantly Ia+ and are derived from either the T4+ or T8+ T-cell subsets whereas CTLs generated under similar conditions are predominantly T8+,T4-,Ia-. The in vivo relevance of this newly defined T-cell cytolytic activity remains to be defined.

The relationship of lytic effects against autologous and allogeneic PHA blasts induced in human mixed lymphocyte cultures

In addition to the cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) killer cells which lyse autologous PHA lymphoblasts are also generated in mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC). By modifying various tissue culture conditions, we demonstrate that the generation of allospecific effectors can be reduced but not the lytic activity against autologous PHA lymphoblasts. Cold target inhibition experiments showed a cross reaction between autologous and allogeneic PHA lymphoblasts. No inhibition was seen with fresh lymphocytes. It seems, therefore, that the measured lytic activity of specific CTL generated in a MLC is in fact partially mediated by cytotoxic cells which kill also autologous PHA lymphoblasts.

Effect of interferon on cell proliferation and generation of cytotoxic potential in mixed autologous and allogeneic lymphocyte cultures

Autologous and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte cultures (AMC and MLC) were assayed for blastogenesis, generation of cytotoxic potential, and the effect of interferon (IFN-alpha) on these features. The cells of the mixed cultures lysed K562, Daudi, and autologous and allogeneic phytohaemagglutinin blasts. Stimulator-specific cytotoxicity was observed only in MLC. B blasts induced with Staphylococcus aureus were only affected in a stimulator-specific manner. Short-term IFN treatment of the MLC-derived effectors before the lytic assay enhanced the nonspecific component of cytotoxicity. Cell proliferation was considerably lower in AMC than in MLC. This was decreased when IFN-alpha was added at the initiation of the cultures. The presence of IFN influenced the generation of lytic potential. Comparison of the lysis of the different targets exerted by MLC-activated cells suggested that the specific component was more substantially elevated than the nonspecific one. It is likely that the IFN induced such modifications in the culture conditions that favoured the proliferation of the specific clone. Re-exposure of lymphocytes cultured in the presence of IFN to another dose of IFN before the assay had no influence on their lytic potential.

IFN-alpha-induced modulations of the events in human mixed lymphocyte cultures

Autologous mixed lymphocyte cultures (AMC) with T-enriched subset of human blood lymphocytes as responders and B-cells or plastic adherent cells as stimulators and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC) were assayed for blastogenesis and generation of cytotoxic potential. The activated cells lyzed K562 and Daudi, autologous and allogeneic PHA-blasts. The AMC population affected the autologous and allogeneic blasts at a similar strength and there was no indication for selective effects. B-Blasts induced with Staphylococcus aureus were not lyzed. The MLC populations had a stimulation-specific cytotoxic component. This was revealed by the stronger effect against the stimulator PHA-blasts and by the lysis of the stimulator B-blasts. Short-time interferon (IFN) treatment prior to the lytic assay enhanced the anti-Daudi and anti-K562 lytic activity of the AMC and MLC populations. With AMC the lytic efficiency against the autologous and allogeneic PHA-blasts were not changed while with MLC they were also elevated. This increase was confined to the non-specific component of the cytoxicity. The proliferation of lymphocytes was suppressed when interferon was added at the initiation of the mixed cultures. On a per-cell basis the cytotoxic potential of these cultures were stronger. In the MLC the stimulation-specific component increased more substantially than the effect against the non-specific targets. It is possible that the IFN-induced modification of the culture conditions such as suppression of the initial proliferation favored the growth of the specific clone. Re-exposure of these cells to another dose of interferon prior to the lytic assay had no effect on the lytic potential.