Direct analysis of viral-specific CD8+ T cells with soluble HLA-A2/Tax11-19 tetramer complexes in patients with human T cell lymphotropic virus-associated myelopathy.

Human T cell lymphotropic virus-I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy is a slowly progressive neurologic disease characterized by inflammatory infiltrates in the central nervous system accompanied by clonal expansion of HTLV-I-reactive CD8+ T-cells. In patients carrying the HLA-A2 allele, the immune response is primarily directed to the Tax11-19 peptide. The frequency, activation state, and TCR usage of HLA-A2/Tax11-19 binding T cells in patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy was determined using MHC class I tetramers loaded with the Tax11-19 peptide. Circulating Tax11-19-reactive T cells were found at very high frequencies, approaching 1:10 circulating CD8+ T cells. T cells binding HLA-A2/Tax11-19 consisted of heterogeneous populations expressing different chemokine receptors and the IL-2R beta-chain but not the IL-2R alpha-chain. Additionally, Tax11-19-reactive CD8+ T cells used one predominant TCR Vbeta-chain for the recognition of the HLA-A2/Tax11-19 complex. These data provide direct evidence for high frequencies of circulating Tax11-19-reactive CD8+ T cells in patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy.

5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity of floxuridine-resistant mouse glioma.

In tissue culture experiments, cells derived from glioma 26, a transplantable tumor of C57B1/6 mice, were sensitive to both floxuridine (5-fluorodeoxyuridine) and 5-fluorodeoxyuridine-5'-(5-iodo-3-indolyl)phosphate, an enzyme-mediated drug activated by 5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase. When these compounds were tested on the tumor in animals at a level of 5 mg/kg for 5 days, tumor growth was inhibited approximately 20% by both compounds. When higher levels of 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, 100 mg/kg four times weekly throughout the lifespan of the mouse, were given, the tumor, although inhibited at first, developed resistance and continued to grow until it killed the animal. Phosphodiesterase levels in the tumor rose as the tumor grew. On the other hand, thymidine kinase levels dropped as anticipated from the known 5-fluorodeoxyuridine-resistant hepatoma tissue culture data. This enzyme pattern was maintained in transplantable mouse glioma lines established from the resistant tumors. One of these lines, tested at a level of 5 mg/kg for 5 days, showed no response to 5-fluorodeoxyuridine but was still sensitive to 5-fluorodeoxyuridine-5'-(5-iodo-3-indolyl) phosphate. These experiments, therefore, offer a model system and a rationale for the design and study of more compounds that could be activated by the enzyme phosphodiesterase. Such compounds might be used alternatively when resistance to 5-fluorodeoxyuridine develops, a common clinical experience in the use of this anticancer drug.