Open AccessMurine Asialo GM1 + CD8 + T Cells as Novel Interleukin‐12‐responsive Killer T Cell Precursors
Author(s) -
Lee Ushaku,
Santa Kazuki,
Habu Sonoko,
Nishimura Takashi
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
japanese journal of cancer research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 0910-5050
DOI - 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1996.tb00241.x
Subject(s) - cytotoxic t cell , cd8 , natural killer t cell , biology , interleukin 2 , interferon gamma , t lymphocyte , natural killer cell , interleukin 21 , cytokine , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , immune system , biochemistry , in vitro
Freshly isolated CD8 + T cells, but not CD4 + T cells, contained 20–30% of asialo GM1 + (ASGM1 + ) T cells which were distinct from ASGM1 + NK1.1 + natural killer cells. This novel ASGM1 + CD8 + T cell subpopulation showed a strong proliferative response to interlenkin‐12 (IL‐12) in the presence of IL‐2. Culture of ASGM1 + CD8 + T cells with IL‐12 plus IL‐2 allowed the generation of anomalous killer T cells concomitantly with the accumulation of cytolytic molecules. Moreover, ASGM1 + CD8 + T cells produced high levels of interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), but not IL‐4, upon stimulation with IL‐12 plus IL‐2. Such immune responses were not observed in ASGM1 − CD8 + T cell snbpopulations constituting the majority of CD8 + T cells. These results demonstrated that ASGM1 + CD8 + T cells are a novel subpopulation of IL‐12‐responsive and IFN‐γ‐producing killer T cell precursors.