Expansion of a subset of TCR gamma/delta human lymphocytes from various lymphoid organs cultured with recombinant IL-2

ABSTRACT

1. TCR1 cells are a minor component of CD3+ lymphocytes which bear the gamma/delta T-cell receptor. There are limited data concerning the activation of TCR1 cells or TCR1 cell subsets in human lymphoid organs. We analyzed a subset of TCR1 cells (delta TCS1+) in peripheral blood (PBL), spleen (SPL), lymph nodes (LN), bone marrow (BM), and thymus (THY) after activation with IL-2. Lymphoid cells from these organs were cultured with 1500 U/ml IL-2 for 14 days and analyzed at periodic intervals for delta TCS1+ cells. 2. We found increased numbers of delta TCS1+ cells in 6- and 14-day cultures from SPL (20.8 +/- 11.8 per cent positive cells after 14 days of culture), LN, BM and THY but not in peripheral blood (1.8 +/- 0.9 per cent ). These delta TCS1+ cells coexpressed CD2, CD3, CD8 and CD56, but were negative for TCR alpha/beta and CD4. We also detected an expansion of TCR1+ cells in IL-2-stimulated PBL employing the pan-gamma/delta marker TCR delta 1; however, in contrast to solid organs, these TCR1+ cells were delta TCS1 negative. 3. Sorting experiments demonstrated directly that delta TCS1 cells from spleen cultures mediate high cytotoxic activity against K562 cell targets (39.4 per cent median specific cytotoxicity) and low activity against Daudi (9.6 per cent ), COLO (2.7 per cent ) and an antibody-sensitized human B-cell line (17 per cent ). 4. These results show expansion and cytotoxic activation by IL-2 of a subset of human TCR1 cells in solid lymphoid organs