NATURAL CYTOTOXIC REACTIVITY OF HUMAN-LYMPHOCYTE SUB-POPULATIONS

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  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 37  (1) , 187-194
Abstract
The spontaneous cytotoxicity of human peripheral blood lymphocyte preparations from normal donors for [myeloid] K562 target cells was examined. Effector cells were separated into SRBC [sheep red blood cell] rosette forming cell (RFC) and non-rosette forming cell (non-RFC) fractions using optimal and suboptimal rosetting procedures. RFC and non-RFC fractions had high cytotoxic activity irrespective of the rosetting procedure. Due to the larger size of the RFC fraction, it contained a higher proportion of the total activity in the preparation. Nylon fiber column adherent and non-adherent fractions produced cytotoxicity. Nylon fiber non-adherent cells separated by SRBC separation gave a RFC fraction with low activity and a non-RFC fraction with high activity. Separation of nylon fiber adherent cells gave RFC and non-RFC fractions with high cytotoxic activity. Therefore, cytotoxic cells did not form a discrete subpopulation and occur in several lymphocyte subsets and show a variable capacity to form SRBC rosettes and adhere to nylon fiber.