Abstract
The in vitro reactivity of purified murine Ly‐2+ and L3T4+ T cells towards 2,4,6‐trinitrophenyl (TNP)‐modified syngeneic stimulator cells was analyzed. Both T cell subpopulations autonomously proliferated and produced interleukin 2. In either the Ly‐2+ or L3T4+ T cell subset the frequencies of TNP‐specific interleukin 2 (IL 2)‐producing T lymphocyte precursors (IL 2 TL‐p) were equally high (f = 1/400–1/1000). Clonally developing IL 2 TL of either T cell subset showed an exquisite antigen (TNP) specificity as shown by the split culture approach. TNP‐specific Ly‐2+ IL‐2 TL used class I MHC (H‐2K ) gene products as major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restriction elements, while L3T4+ IL 2 TL proved to be class I1 MHC (H‐21‐Ak I‐Ek) restricted. Clonal segregation analyses revealed that the majority of clonally developing TNP‐reactive Ly‐2+ TL segregated into either IL 2 TL‐p or cytotoxic T lymphocyte presursors, i.e. both functions appear to be mutually exclusive. Less than 10% of the responding Ly‐2+ T cells seemed to be bifunctional. These findings provide compelling evidence for the L3T4+ T cell‐independent, autonomous reactivity of Ly‐2+ T cells in MHC‐restricted antigen‐specific responses and suggest T‐T cell interactions within the functional heterogenous Ly‐2+ T cell population.

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