Requirement of the T cell antigen receptor occupancy for the target cell lysis by cytolytic T lymphocytes

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Abstract
We have constructed a bivalent bifunctional F(ab)2 fragment with binding specificity for a Vβ8 T cell antigen receptor and human tumor-associated antigen. Using the bifunctional antibody to focus cytolytlc activity of mouse CTL to a human carcinoma cell line and anti-Vβ8 TCR Fab′ as a competitor, we demonstrate that only a small percentage (∼0.5%) of the TCR engaging on the target molecule is sufficient to deliver a lytic signal to the target cells.