Inhibition of NK and ADCC activity by antibodies against purified cytoplasmic granules from rat LGL tumors.

Highly purified preparations of cytoplasmic granules from transplantable rat large granular lymphocyte (LGL) tumor lines (rat natural killer (RNK) tumors) were used to immunize rabbits. Antibodies from these animals gave two precipitin lines with granule extracts in Ouchterlony experiments. They reacted with at least four different bands on nitrocellulose blots of SDS gels of LGL granule proteins. By immunofluorescence, specifically adsorbed antigranule antibodies did not recognize LGL or T cell surface antigens but reacted with the cytoplasmic granules in permeabilized RNK tumor cells as well as with normal rat LGL. These same antisera showed little or no reactivity with a panel of other cells, including peripheral blood T cells, thymocytes, macrophages, and EL-4 tumor cells. F(ab')2 preparations of these antigranule antibodies completely blocked granule-mediated lysis of both SRBC and nucleated targets, while control F(ab')2 preparations from rabbits immunized with EL-4 granules or TNP-KLH showed no significant inhibition of this cytolytic activity at the same antibody concentration. Anti-granule F(ab')2 preparations specifically inhibited (greater than 75%) rat natural killer (NK) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activities in a dose-dependent manner but did not effect cytotoxic T cell activity. Pretreatment of either effectors or targets by these antibodies had no effect. Anti-granule F(ab')2 preparations, at concentrations showing strong inhibition of lysis, did not inhibit the binding of LGL to YAC-1 or Ab-coated P815 targets. These results demonstrate that a granule component(s) is necessary for the lytic activity of LGL in both NK and ADCC and provide the first direct evidence that a secretory event involving these granules is part of the lytic process.