Revisiting the first long-term culture of antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells.

Kendall A Smith

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2014.00194

Abstract

Revisiting the first long-term culture of antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells.

Highlights

Prior to the publication of this article [link to Ref. [1]], immunological dogma held that lymphocyte proliferation was only initiated and sustained by antigenic stimulation
In support of this notion, several investigators had reported that repetitive stimulation of T cells with allogeneic lymphocytes in a mixed lymphocyte culture could result in the longterm culture of alloreactive T cells for several months [2,3,4,5]
Doris Morgan, a hematopoietic biologist who had been searching for a factor activity that might sustain long-term leukemia cell proliferation, reported that PHA-stimulated human lymphocyte-conditioned media promoted not leukemia cell growth, but long-term T-cell proliferation [15]

Summary

Introduction

Prior to the publication of this article [link to Ref. [1]], immunological dogma held that lymphocyte proliferation was only initiated and sustained by antigenic (or mitogenic) stimulation. (1)], immunological dogma held that lymphocyte proliferation was only initiated and sustained by antigenic (or mitogenic) stimulation. The cellular response was assumed to be entirely antigen-driven, such that as the irradiated allogeneic stimulator cells gradually died out, the responder cells naturally defaulted to a quiescent state, since there was no longer an antigenic drive.

Results

Conclusion