Direct detection of cytolytic T lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity on antigen-transfected cell microarray.

CD8(+) T lymphocytes are capable of recognizing and destroying cancer cells or virally infected cells and can thus offer protection from cellular malignant transformation and pathogenic challenges. With large numbers of genes discovered in genome analyses, rapid identification of cancer or viral antigens would facilitate better exploitation of CD8(+) T lymphocyte-mediated immune protection. Reverse transfection microarray technology allows expression of individual cDNAs at defined positions in a cell monolayer and direct detection of corresponding phenotypic changes of transfected cells at specific locations.