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Two Distinct Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Subpopulations in Patients with Vogt‐Koyanagi‐Harada Disease that Recognize Human Melanoma Cells
Author(s) -
Maezawa Nobuyoshi,
Yano Akihiko
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1984.tb00673.x
Subject(s) - cytotoxic t cell , monoclonal antibody , biology , immunology , cell culture , melanoma , antibody , antigen , t cell , cancer research , microbiology and biotechnology , immune system , in vitro , biochemistry , genetics
The functional properties of cytotoxic lymphocytes from patients with Vogt‐Koyanagi‐Harada disease (VKH) specific for human melanoma cells (P‐36 melanoma cell line established from a patient with malignant melanoma) were investigated by using monoclonal antibodies specific for human T cell subsets. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from patients with VKH showed significant cytotoxic activity against the P‐36 (SK‐MEL‐28) human melanoma cell line, but not against a human cervical carcinoma of the uterus cell line (HeLa‐S3 cell line) or against a mouse melanoma cell line (B‐16 cell line) originating from a C57BL/6 strain mouse or against the EL‐4 mouse lymphoma cell line from a C57BL/6 mouse. The cytotoxic activity of the patients' PBL against the P‐36 melanoma cell line was markedly reduced by pretreatment of the PBL with monoclonal anti‐human Leu‐1 antibody plus rabbit complement, but it was reduced to much less extent by pretreatment with either monoclonal anti‐human Leu‐2a or Leu‐3a antibody plus rabbit complement. The specific cytotoxic activity of the patients' PBL against the P‐36 human melanoma cell line is, therefore, mediated by T cells bearing Leu‐1 + Leu‐2a + or Leu‐1 + Leu‐3a + antigens. Furthermore, the cytotoxic activity was shown to be blocked not only by anti‐Leu‐2a antibody specific to human cytotoxic/suppressor T cells but also unexpectedly by anti‐Leu‐3a antibody which has previously been considered to be specific to human inducer/helper T cells. The results of this study suggest that at least two distinct subpopulations of cytotoxic T cells specific for P‐36 human melanoma cells are present in the peripheral blood of VKH patients. These cytotoxic T cells have different surface antigens, Leu‐2a and Leu‐3a.