Allergen-specific human T cell clones: derivation, specificity, and activation requirements.

The interaction between allergen and immune cells plays a pivotal role in the development of human allergy. In an attempt to understand this interaction, we have studied allergen-specific T cells in vitro. These T cells are derived from rodent-allergic individuals and are specific for a major allergen found in mouse urine (MA-1). Antigen-specific, major histocompatibility complex-restricted, human T cell clones have been generated by limiting dilution from lines derived from the peripheral blood T cells of allergic individuals. Antigen (Ag)-presenting cells are necessary for this response, and they can be modulated by appropriate agents. These clones can be propagated in vitro under conditions of restimulation with Ag in the presence of Ag-presenting cells without the continuous use of exogenous interleukin-2. Most clones are CD3+ or CD4+, but one clone is CD3+ CD8+ by fluorescence-activated cell sorter and monoclonal antibody-killing data. Ag stimulation of these clones induces them to produce interleukin-2 and proliferate. These T cell clones can provide a basis for studying the structure of allergenic epitopes and the potential role of altered Ag in the induction of T cell tolerance. If the determinants of T cell allergen recognition and tolerance are solved, it might provide a basis for a new approach to the immunotherapy of allergic disease.