TRANSFER OF PROTEIN-LABELED MATERIAL TO TARGET CELLS BY CYTOTOXIC LYMPHOCYTES

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the transfer of protein-labeled material to target cells by cytotoxic lymphocytes. In an experiment described in the chapter, the cell-free supernatants of cultures of PHA-stimulated human lymphocytes protein-labeled with tritiated leucine contained radioactive material. To find out whether the material released by the lymphocytes was cytotoxic or not, cell-free supernatants of PHA-stimulated human lymphocyte cultures were added to HeLa cells, and their cytotoxic effect was compared with used nutritional media of HeLa cell cultures. It was shown that both media had a certain cytolytic effect on HeLa cells that, however, did not differ much in their extent. In continuous observations, both kinds of cultures did not show the typical breakdown of the dying cells under the direct influence of the stimulated lymphocytes. The used HeLa culture medium did not contain substances released by stimulated lymphocytes, and it was suggested that the effect of the two different media was most likely because of a deprivation of nutritional substances.