Abstract
THYMUS-DERIVED lymphocytes (T cells), which participate in many regulatory and effector functions of the immune system, are divided into distinct subpopulations. Thus, T cells causing cell-mediated cytotoxicity can be distinguished from those cooperating with bone marrow-derived lymphocytes (B cells) in the humoral response1–3. Cytotoxic T cells also seem to be distinct from the cells responsible for the mixed lymphocyte and graft versus host reactions4,5. Furthermore, T-cell subpopulations can interact with each other to augment various cell-mediated immune responses6–8. We have investigated whether the T cells causing contact sensitivity belong to a different subset from those causing cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Our studies were based on two observations: first, that in mice contact sensitivity to the trinitrophenyl group (TNP) can be transferred adoptively by spleen or lymph node cells of sensitised animals; and, second, that cytotoxic T cells able to lyse TNP-coupled target cells can be induced in vitro11–13. We have found that contact sensitivity cells fail to display cytotoxicity, while cytotoxic cells fail to transfer contact sensitivity. From this we conclude that these two functions are performed by distinct T cell subpopulations.
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DENNERT, G., HATLEN, L. Are contact hypersensitivity cells cytotoxic?. Nature 257, 486–488 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/257486a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/257486a0
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