Target cell heterogeneity in murine leukemia virus infection: III. Identification of susceptible Lyt 1 + and resistant Lyt 2 + T-cell subsets following in vitro infection with Friend murine leukemia virus

Abstract

The susceptibility of splenic T-cell subpopulations to productive infection with Friend murine leukemia virus was determined after in vitro infection and stimulation with Con A. Con A enhanced the number of productively infected cells in unseparated spleen cells as well as in T-cell-enriched spleen cell fractions. Splenic T cells were fractionated into Lyt 1 + and Lyt 2 + subpopulations using both positive and negative selection techniques; susceptible splenic T cells were recovered in the Lyt 1 + fraction and specific cytotoxic treatment with anti-Lyt 1 antibody and complement reduced the number of infectious center-producing cells by greater than 87%. In marked contrast, Lyt 2 + splenic T cells were resistant to productive infection by Friend murine leukemia virus in vitro.