Heat shock protein-induced T-lymphocyte propagation from endomyocardial biopsies in heart transplantation.

Background: Recent studies have shown that heat shock proteins can be recognized by T cells during various immunologically mediated inflammatory processes. Injurious stimuli to cells induce an increased production of heat shock proteins which could lead to their cell surface expression and subsequent recognition by the immune system. We have postulated that allograft infiltrating cells may recognize heat shock proteins, especially during rejection.

Presence of CD4, CD8 double-negative and T-cell receptor-gamma-delta-positive T cells in lymphocyte cultures propagated from coronary arteries from heart transplant patients with graft coronary disease.

Previous studies have shown that the interleukin-2-induced propagation of lymphocytes from endomyocardial biopsy specimens, an indicator of cellular rejection, is associated with the development of graft coronary disease in heart transplant patients. To further investigate the concept of cell-mediated immune responses in graft coronary disease, we have applied the methodologies of interleukin-2-induced propagation of lymphocytes from arterial tissues. In a group of 23 patients, which included 6 heart, 6 kidney, and 11 liver transplant recipients, we observed that arterial lymphocyte growth was significantly associated with obliterative vasculopathy (p less than 0.

Trichinella spiralis: selective intestinal immune deviation in the rat.

In rats, infections with 100-2000 Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae lead to a prompt immunity that is expressed in parasite expulsion within 14 days. Rats infected with more than 2000 larvae display impaired immunity with rejection delayed by 50% (7 days) or more. Suppression is selective for expulsive immunity as the antifecundity response of rats is directly proportional to dose and is expressed sooner in heavily infected subjects.

Failure to detect killer cell activity in rabbits.

Rabbit lymphoid cells from spleen, peripheral blood, and peritoneal cavity lacked killer (K)-cell activity against cell lines of rabbit and human origin, including virus-infected human tumor cells. This lack of activity was not affected by antibody concentration, source of antibodies, effector/target cell ratio, or length of assay. Rabbit leukocytes, however, were capable of lysing antibody-coated chicken erythrocytes.

T cell-mediated cytotoxicity induced by Listeria monocytogenes. III. Phenotypic characteristics of mediator T cells.

Cytotoxic thymus-derived lymphocytes (CTL) generated in vitro by restimulating rat cells with Listeria antigen- (LMA) pulsed syngeneic accessory cells were characterized in respect to their surface membrane markers. LM-dependent CTL were devoid of detectable surface immunoglobulin (Ig) and receptors for the Fc region of rabbit IgG. Experiments with monoclonal antibodies to rat T cell markers revealed that these cytotoxic cells have the phenotypic profile W3/13+, W3/25-, MRC OX 8+.

T cell-mediated cytotoxicity induced by Listeria monocytogenes. II. Specificity of cytolytic effector cells.

Listeria monocytogenes- (LM) antigen-dependent cytotoxic lymphocytes, identified in a companion manuscript as T cells (CTL), can kill a wide variety of target cells, including syngeneic fibroblasts of both fetal and adult origin, and certain allogeneic and xenogeneic tumor cells. Cold target cell inhibition assays revealed that cells susceptible to lysis can block the cytolytic process in a dose-dependent manner, whereas lysis-resistant cells cannot. Several lines of evidence indicate that to realize their cytolytic potential, LM-dependent CTL must bind to their targets.

T cell-mediated cytotoxicity induced by Listeria monocytogenes. I. Activation of Listeria antigen-responsive T cells.

Soon after rats are infected with Listeria monocytogenes (LM), Listeria antigen- (LMA) responsive lymphocytes are delivered to the animal's thoracic duct. These LM-responsive lymphocytes can be restimulated in vitro by LMA to generate cells that have a potent cytolytic capability. The activation of LMA responsive lymphocytes is immunologically specific and dependent upon the activity of histocompatible accessory cells.

Stimulation of activated rat T cells in vitro by Listeria monocytogenes antigens.

A soluble extract of Listeria monocytogenes bound firmly and in similar amounts to a variety of rat cells. Cells that bound this material differed in their capacity to stimulate the in vitro proliferation of lymphocytes obtained from the thoracic duct of Listeria-immune donors. The capacity of cells to serve as antigen-presenting cells in this system coincided or closely overlapped the expression on these cells of an Ia antigen-like structure.

Autochthonous, allogeneic, and exenogeneic cells as targets for vaccinia immune lymphocyte cytotoxicity.

The cytotoxicity of vaccinia-immune rabbit spleen cells against autochthonous, allogeneic, and xenogeneic vaccinia-infected target cells was studied by using the 51Cr release assay. The results showed that whereas effector cells from rabbit spleen could not lyse the xenogeneic target cells, there was no consistent difference in lysis of autochthonous and allogeneic targets. Antibody-mediated cytotoxicity showed the resistance to cell-mediated lysis in this system not to be the result to reduced virus antigen on the cell surface.