Self-recognition of CD1 by gamma/delta T cells: implications for innate immunity.

The specificity of immunoglobulins and alpha/beta T cell receptors (TCRs) provides a framework for the molecular basis of antigen recognition. Yet, evolution has preserved a separate lineage of gamma/delta antigen receptors that share characteristics of both immunoglobulins and alpha/beta TCRs but whose antigens remain poorly understood. We now show that T cells of the major tissue gamma/delta T cell subset recognize nonpolymorphic CD1c molecules. These T cells proliferated in response to CD1+ presenter cells, lysed CD1c+ targets, and released T helper type 1 (Th1) cytokines. The CD1c-reactive gamma/delta T cells were cytotoxic and used both perforin- and Fas-mediated cytotoxicity. Moreover, they produced granulysin, an important antimicrobial protein. Recognition of CD1c was TCR mediated, as recognition was transferred by transfection of the gamma/delta TCR. Importantly, all CD1c-reactive gamma/delta T cells express V delta 1 TCRs, the TCR expressed by most tissue gamma/delta T cells. Recognition by this tissue pool of gamma/delta T cells provides the human immune system with the capacity to respond rapidly to nonpolymorphic molecules on professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) in the absence of foreign antigens that may activate or eliminate the APCs. The presence of bactericidal granulysin suggests these cells may directly mediate host defense even before foreign antigen-specific T cells have differentiated.

Differential induction by interferons of major histocompatibility complex-encoded and non-major histocompatibility complex-encoded antigens in human breast and ovarian carcinoma cell lines.

Treatment of cancer cells with interferons can modulate expression of cell surface antigens, particularly those of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). To examine the effect of recombinant gamma- and alpha-interferons on expression of non-MHC antigens, murine monoclonal antibodies have been used to quantitate 14 distinct tumor-associated cell surface antigens from five breast cancer cell lines and five ovarian cancer cell lines using a live cell radioimmunoassay. Both Class I and Class II MHC antigens could be augmented or induced with gamma-interferon. Significantly increased expression of MHC antigens was observed in nine of 10 cell lines with induction indices as high as 11-fold. When 17 non-MHC epitopes were measured on 10 cell lines, minimal (1.3-2.7-fold) induction was observed in 10 of the 170 instances evaluated. Expression of only two epitopes, 2G3 and 735B11, was increased on more than one cell line. On six cell lines expression of non-MHC epitopes could not be increased. Consequently, among many different cell surface determinants, interferons produced a highly selective augmentation or induction of MHC antigens, whereas augmentation or induction of other tumor-associated antigens was apparently restricted to a few epitopes.

Combined chemoseparation and immunoseparation of clonogenic T lymphoma cells from human bone marrow using 2'-deoxycoformycin, deoxyadenosine, 3A1 monoclonal antibody, and complement.

Chemoseparation and immunoseparation techniques have been combined to eliminate malignant clonogenic T lymphoma cells from human bone marrow. Incubation with 5 microM 2'-deoxycoformycin and 500 microM deoxyadenosine has eliminated 2 logs of HSB-2 T lymphoma cells from a 20-fold excess of irradiated human bone marrow. Multiple incubations with 3A1 antibody and rabbit complement eliminated approximately 2 logs of HSB-2 cells from similar mixtures. Used in combination, the 2 techniques eliminated up to 4 logs of T lymphoma cells. Incubation of normal human bone marrow under similar conditions failed to affect growth of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cell units, burst-forming erythroid units, or multipotential erythroid-granulocyte-megakaryocyte-macrophage colony-forming hematopoietic progenitor cells units.

Elimination of malignant clonogenic breast cancer cells from human bone marrow.

Autologous bone marrow transplantation is a promising approach to the treatment of breast cancer but is at present limited to patients without bone marrow metastases. To eliminate malignant clonogenic breast cancer cells from normal human bone marrow, immunomagnetic separation has been combined with chemoseparation using 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide. Breast cancer cell lines have been mixed with a 10-fold excess of irradiated human bone marrow from normal donors. Mixtures have been incubated with a combination of five different monoclonal antibodies which bind to epithelial cell surface antigens of Mr 42,000, 55,000, 72,000, 200,000, and greater than 200,000. Antiglobulin coated microspheres which contained magnetite were added, and tumor cells were trapped in a magnetic field. Elimination of tumor cells from the decanted marrow was measured in a limiting dilution assay. Two treatments with antibody and microspheres permitted elimination of 2-4 logs of clonogenic breast cancer cells, depending upon the cell line studied. Similar treatment of nonirradiated normal marrow failed to affect levels of colony forming units-granulocyte-macrophage significantly. Use of immunomagnetic purging in combination with 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide eliminated up to 5 logs of tumor cells but reduced the recovery of colony forming units-granulocyte-macrophage. If prompt engraftment is observed following reinfusion of similarly treated marrow in phase I trials, these techniques should permit extension of autologous bone marrow transplantation to a larger population of breast cancer patients.

Use of immunotoxins in combination to inhibit clonogenic growth of human breast carcinoma cells.

Substantial heterogeneity has been observed in the expression of individual antigens within tumor cell populations. Immunotoxins which bind to different cell surface antigens might exert additive or synergistic cytotoxicity when used in combination to eliminate all clonogenic cells within a tumor. Immunotoxins have been prepared by conjugating recombinantly derived toxin A chain to different monoclonal reagents which recognize cell surface determinants of Mr 42,000 (317G5), 55,000 (260F9), and 200,000 (741F8). Each immunotoxin was evaluated for binding, internalization, and cytotoxicity with four breast cancer cell lines. Each of the three immunotoxins bound to the SKBr3 cell line and exerted antitumor activity in a limiting dilution clonogenic assay. Simultaneous treatment with two immunotoxins produced additive antitumor activity with each of the possible combinations. Additive binding could be demonstrated by immunofluorescent techniques, however, with only one of three combinations. With two of the three combinations, subpopulations of tumor cells could be identified which lacked one or the other antigenic determinant but not both. Consequently, log-additive antitumor activity was produced by immunotoxins in combination, and heterogeneity of antigenic targets may have contributed to the combined cytotoxicity in some but not all cases.

Detection of breast carcinoma cells in human bone marrow using fluorescence-activated cell sorting and conventional cytology.

Flow cytometry has been compared with conventional cytology as a method for detecting breast carcinoma cells in human bone marrow. Breast cancer cells from patient effusion fluids or from established cell lines were mixed with normal human bone marrow at dilutions ranging from 1:10 to 1:100,000. Cells were labeled with five directly fluoresceinated murine monoclonal antibodies reactive against epithelial cell surface determinants of 42, 55, 72, 200, and more than 200 kD. Fluorescence of tumor cells within the mixtures was then analyzed with the use of a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. In multiple experiments, one tumor cell in 10,000 nucleated marrow cells could be detected by flow cytometry. In addition, a linear correlation was observed over approximately 3 logs between the number of tumor cells added and the number of tumor cells detected. In a double-blind study comparing flow cytometry and cytology, flow cytometric analysis detected one tumor cell among 10,000 marrow precursors in 14 of 15 instances, whereas standard cytologic methods detected similar tumor contamination in 9 of 15 instances. Neither technique used individually could detect one tumor cell in 100,000 bone marrow cells. Used in combination, however, flow cytometry and cytology could detect one breast cancer cell among 100,000 normal marrow progenitors.

Hydroxyurea synchronization increases mitotic yield in human glioma cell lines.

Karyotypic studies of human gliomas are often limited by a low mitotic index and the appearance of contracted chromosomes that do not exhibit clear banding patterns. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of hydroxyurea (HU) as a synchronizing agent using established human glioma cell lines as a model system. HU was shown to reversibly inhibit cellular replication in glioma cell lines U-251MG, D-245MG, D-247MG and D-263MG by flow cytometry on the basis of DNA content. Two-to sixfold increases were demonstrated in the mitotic index of HU-treated cultures exhibiting the greatest percentage of cells in the G2/M phases of the cell cycle. HU, therefore, promises to be an effective agent for use in short term cultures from biopsied human tumors to increase the quality of chromosome preparations in these tumors.

Human postnatal CD4- CD8- CD3- thymic T cell precursors differentiate in vitro into T cell receptor delta-bearing cells.

The signals required for activation and the differentiation of human triple negative postnatal thymocytes were studied in vitro. Highly purified populations of CD4-, CD8-, CD3- (triple negative) thymocytes were isolated by combined panning and preparative cell sorting and the ability of triple negative thymocytes to proliferate in response to various cytokines determined. Maximal triple negative proliferation was obtained using a mitogenic combination of CD2 antibodies and either rIL-2 or the phorbol ester, PMA. Long term growth (2 to 6 wk) of postnatal triple negative thymocytes was best achieved using CD2 antibodies and rIL-2. After in vitro culture with CD2 antibodies and rIL-2, triple negative thymocytes gave rise to TCR-delta+ cells beginning on day 2 of culture (approximately 15% CD3/TCR-delta+) reaching maximum (approximately 60% CD3/TCR-delta+) on day 7 with stable number of TCR-delta+ cells observed in vitro for up to 6 wk. Analysis of 30 clones of human postnatal triple negative thymocytes demonstrated 9 of 30 (30%) were TCR-delta+, beta F1-, essentially ruling out overgrowth of the triple negative population over time by a minor pool of contaminating TCR-delta+ cells. Thus, these studies have defined an in vitro culture system for human postnatal T cell precursors and demonstrated that precursors of human TCR-gamma delta+ T cells reside in the triple negative thymocyte pool.

A combination of two immunotoxins exerts synergistic cytotoxic activity against human breast-cancer cell lines.

In previous studies, combinations of immunotoxins reactive with different cell-surface antigens have exerted additive cytotoxicity against tumor cells in culture. In this report we describe a combination of 2 immunotoxins that produce synergistic cytotoxic activity. Recombinantly derived ricin A chain (RTA) was conjugated with murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 317G5, 260F9, 454A12 and 741F8 that bound to cell-surface determinants of 42, 55, 180 (transferrin receptor) and 185 kDa (HER-2/neu) expressed by the SKBr3 human breast-cancer cell line. When inhibition of clonogenic growth was measured in a limiting dilution assay, the combination of 260F9-RTA and 454A12-RTA produced synergistic cytotoxic activity against SKBr3 and 2 other breast-cancer cell lines. All other combinations produced only additive inhibition of clonogenic growth. Simultaneous binding of 260F9 and 454A12 was not supra-additive, but sub-populations of cells which lacked one or the other antigen could be detected. Kinetic studies of internalization, using antibodies conjugated with gold particles, indicated that 454A12 remained within peripheral endosomes for a longer interval in the presence of 260F9. This change in the traffic of the transferrin receptor may contribute to synergy between 260F9-RTA and 454A12-RTA.

Evidence for human CD4+ T cells in the CD1-restricted repertoire: derivation of mycobacteria-reactive T cells from leprosy lesions.

Both the CD4-CD8- (double negative) and CD4-CD8+ T cell lineages have been shown to contain T cells which recognize microbial lipid and glycolipid Ags in the context of human CD1 molecules. To determine whether T cells expressing the CD4 coreceptor could recognize Ag in the context of CD1, we derived CD4+ T cell lines from the lesions of leprosy patients. We identified three CD4+ Mycobacterium leprae-reactive, CD1-restricted T cell lines: two CD1b restricted and one CD1c restricted. These T cell lines recognize mycobacterial Ags, one of which has not been previously described for CD1-restricted T cells. The response of CD4+ CD1-restricted T cells, unlike MHC class II-restricted T cells, was not inhibited by anti-CD4 mAb, suggesting that the CD4 coreceptor does not impact positive or negative selection of CD1-restricted T cells. The CD4+ CD1-restricted T cell lines produced IFN-gamma and GM-CSF, the Th1 pattern of cytokines required for cell-mediated immunity against intracellular pathogens, but no detectable IL-4. The existence of CD4+ CD1-restricted T cells that produce a Th1 cytokine pattern suggests a contributory role in immunity to mycobacterial infection.

Heterogeneity of antigen expression in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Immunohistochemical techniques were used to evaluate the expression of six antigens (CA 125, TAG 72, CA 19-9, OVTL3, DF3, and transferrin receptor) in frozen sections from the primary tumor and metastases of 20 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. Heterogeneous expression of most antigens was observed within a given tumor nodule, but in each patient the proportion of cells expressing an antigen was similar in the primary tumor and metastases. To explore the stability of the antigenic phenotype of individual cells, we studied CA 125 expression in an ovarian cancer cell line. Cells were separated into CA 125-positive and -negative groups using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. After the two groups of cells were recultured separately, only 38% of cells originally sorted as CA 125 positive still expressed CA 125, whereas 27% of cells sorted as CA 125 negative expressed CA 125. That cells may gain or lose CA 125 expression in culture suggests that expression of CA 125 by ovarian cancer cells is not a stable trait.