In the thymus, the transcription factor ThPOK is essential for the development of the CD4 helper T cell lineage, whereas active repression of ThPOK is critical for the development of the CD8 cytotoxic T cell lineage. ThPOK gene silencing is thought to be irreversible in peripheral CD8 T cells. We noticed that ThPOK repression is readily abrogated upon in vitro TCR stimulation of peripheral CD8 ...

Cytokines and chemokines are secreted proteins involved in numerous aspects of cell growth, differentiation, and activation. A prominent feature of these molecules is their effect on the immune system with regard to cell trafficking and development of immune tissue and organs. The nature of an immune response determines which cytokines are produced and ultimately whether the response is cytotox...

In the present study, we have characterized the effectors, precursors, and regulatory ancillary cells involved in the in vitro generation of lymphokine-induced cytotoxicity. It was first shown that at least two lymphokines are needed for the generation of lymphokine-induced cytotoxicity. They are interleukin 2 and a novel lymphokine, the cytotoxic cell differentiation factor (CCDF). CCDF was pr...

Murine thymus derived (T) lymphocytes primed in vivo to mouse 129 (H-2bc) derived H-2-negative F9 embryonal carcinoma cells and rechallenged in vitro with X-irradiated F9 stimulator cells differentiated into anti-F9 cell immune cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Using CBA mouse derived splenic responder T cells, F9 stimulator cells triggered a primary cytotoxic anti-F9 response. The CTL generated l...

H-2-1inked lr genes, which regulate the virus-specific responsiveness of cytotoxic H2K or D restricted T cells, have the following characteristics: they are virusand H-2specific. They act on cytotoxic T cells directly, but probably not on conventional T helper cells, since in all mouse strains responsiveness restricted to either K or D is high. Low responsiveness is quantitative, not qualitativ...

Killer lymphocytes provide powerful immune protection from cancer and infection by eliminating dangerous cells. Innate killer cells (principally natural killer cells) and innate-like T cells provide the first response. Antigen-specific immunity by cytotoxic T lymphocytes takes over about a week later and provides life-long immunity. When killer cells recognize a target cell, they mobilize cytot...

The secretion of immunoglobulin by plasma cells has been considered a classical example of the "non-regulated" pathway of protein secretion, in which newly synthesized protein is processed by the Golgi, packaged into small vesicles, and immediately secreted without intracellular storage. In the case of lymphokine secretion by T lymphocytes, it is generally not clear whether this non-regulated p...

Lymphocytes derived from animals immunized against alloantigens exhibit in vitro cytotoxicity for target cells carrying the respective isoantigen (1). This cytotoxic activity is mediated by theta-bearing (thymus-derived) lymphocytes (T cells) 1 (2, 3). The accumulated evidence indicates that the cellular immune response to an isoantigen or tumor cell exists concomitantly with isoantibodies secr...

The tumor immune microenvironment contributes to tumor initiation, progression, and response to therapy. Among the immune cell subsets that play a role in the tumor microenvironment, innate-like T cells that express T cell receptors composed of γ and δ chains (γδ T cells) are of particular interest. γδ T cells can contribute to the immune response against many tumor types (lymphoma, myeloma, me...