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Surface markers of human lymphokine‐activated killer cells and their precursors. Analysis at the population and clonal level
Author(s) -
Ferrini Silvano,
Moretta Lorenzo,
Pantaleo Giuseppe,
Moretta Alessandro
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910390105
Subject(s) - lymphokine activated killer cell , lymphokine , biology , population , microbiology and biotechnology , antigen , lymphoblast , cell culture , cell , immunology , interleukin 21 , genetics , medicine , environmental health , cd8
Lymphokine‐activated killer (LAK) activity was first analyzed on PBL populations fractionated on the basis of the expression of TII or T3 antigen. LAK cell precursors were found to be present in both TII + and TII ‐ populations, but only in the T3 ‐ cell fraction. The generation of LAK activity in highly purified T3 ‐ populations of PBL was not accompanied by expression of T3 antigen during a 5‐day culture period. LAK activity was next analyzed at the level of limiting dilution clonal microcultures. TII + T3 ‐ and TII + T3 + cells, cloned under optimal culture conditions, gave a frequency of proliferating cells of approximately I cell in 1.25 for TII + T3 + and I cell in 10 for TII + T3 ‐ cells. Clones were screened for their ability to lyse fresh ovarian carcinoma cells and K562 target cells. The majority of LAK clones were derived from the TII + T3 ‐ cells; moreover, most of the clones derived from these cells displayed LAK activity. Clones displaying LAK activity lysed a panel of fresh or cultured tumor target cells, but failed to lyse PHA‐activated lymphoblasts. Surface marker analysis indicated that all the clones had maintained the original TII/T3 phenotype. Whereas 2 T3 + selected LAK clones expressed the T8 + T4 ‐ phenotype, only I out of 9 T3 ‐ clones was T8 + T4 ‐ , all the others lacking both T4 and T8 antigens.