Induction and Measurement of Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Activity.

Cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) are important immune effector cells in the adaptive immune response. It has been well documented that CTLs are important in host immune responses to viral and bacterial intracellular pathogens, tumors, and transplanted tissues. The properties of CTLs have been studied extensively in murine models, and their roles validated in the human setting.

Induction and measurement of cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) kill target cells on the basis of cell-surface antigen recognition and are important in the host response to tumors, transplants, and viruses. This unit presents several protocols for generating and measuring CTL activity. The first describes generating CTL against some of the most commonly used target antigens.