Ontogeny of cell-mediated cytotoxicity: induction of CTL in early postnatal thymocytes.

In this study we characterized the time when cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) can be induced in the thymus and spleen from their immediate CTL precursors (CTL-P). In contrast to fetal or newborn thymus, the thymus of 1 to 2-day-old C57BL/6 mice contained cells that, after cultivation in vitro with allogeneic DBA/2 stimulating cells, exhibited high levels (as great or greater than that induced in adult thymocytes) of CTL activity as measured by the ability to lyse P815 (DBA/2) tumor target cells. However, CTL activity induced in spleen cells remained how during the first 5 days of life, increased sharply between 6 to 9 days, and reached adult levels at 11 to 20 days. Furthermore, early postnatal spleen cells did not suppress the adult splenic CTL response. These results suggest 1) that the full potential to generate CTL in response to an allogeneic stimulus commences in the thymus on the first day after birth and 2) a different temporal appearance of immediate CTL precursors in the thymus and spleen.