Sufficiency of the CD8+ T cell lineage to mount an effective tumoricidal response to syngeneic tumor-bearing novel class I MHC antigens

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) Vol. 143; no. 12; pp. 4287 - 4291
• Main Authors: Fan, ST, Edgington, TS
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Am Assoc Immnol 15.12.1989
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; CD8 Antigens; Cell Division; Fibrosarcoma - immunology; Fibrosarcoma - pathology; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I - immunology; Interleukin-2 - physiology; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocyte Depletion; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C3H; Phenotype; Sarcoma, Experimental - immunology; Sarcoma, Experimental - pathology; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic - immunology; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer - immunology
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1550-6606
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.143.12.4287

The origins of "help" in rejection of syngeneic tumors by the CD8 T cell lineage was examined with a model tumor inappropriately expressing novel class I MHC and subject to cytolytic T cell (CTL)-mediated rejection. The requirement for CD4+ Th cells to induce CD8+ CTL effectors in vivo was investigated by using C3H mice selectively depleted of either CD4+ or CD8+ T cells. Rejection of the tumor was vigorous and indistinguishable from normal mice after depletion of CD4+ T cells in vivo. In contrast, in CD8+ T cell-depleted mice tumors grew progressively, confirming that T cells of the CD8+ lineage are required for a tumoricidal immune response, and cells of this lineage are sufficient for a primary response. Taken together, these results demonstrate that, in the absence of CD4+ T cells in vivo, unprimed cells of the CD8+ lineage are fully competent to mount an effective CTL immune response to syngeneic cells expressing novel class I Ag, consistent with the concept that only T cells with class I recognition specificity may be required to satisfy the need for both help and effector functions in the response.