Identification of HLA-E-specific alloreactive T lymphocytes: A cell subset that undergoes preferential expansion in mixed lymphocyte culture and displays a broad cytolytic activity against allogeneic cells

摘要

Previous studies showed that a subset of CD8~+ cytolytic T lympho- cytes expressing HLA class I-specific natural killer inhibitory recep- tors (iNKR) is characterized by the ability to recognize HLA-E and to mediate T cell receptor-dependent killing of different NK cell- susceptible tumor target cells. In this study, we show that this CD8~+ T cell subset can also undergo extensive proliferation in mixed lymphocyte cultures in response to allogeneic cells. Analysis of their cytolytic activity revealed a broad specificity against a panel of allogeneic phytohemagglutinin-induced blasts derived from HLA-unmatched donors.