Characterization of virus-specific cytotoxic T cell clones from allogeneic bone marrow chimeras.

We established several H-2-restricted lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-specific cytotoxic T cell clones from spleens of virus-primed C57BL/6 or C57BL/10 (H-2b) and B10.BR (H-2k) mice and from allogeneic C57BL/10----B10.BR and B10.BR----C57BL/10 bone marrow chimeras. Two T cell clones of H-2b origin and restricted to H-2b, 3 of H-2k origin and restricted to H-2k were compared with two clones each derived from the two types of chimeras. Their surface phenotype was found to be Lyt-2+, L3/T4- and KJ16-133+ (2 of 9). Clones from chimeras expressed bone marrow donor H-2 and are restricted to the recipient H-2. H-2k-restricted clones were all specific for Kk whereas all H-2b-restricted clones were specific for Db. These restriction specificities could be further defined by the blocking activity of various monoclonal anti-H-2 antibodies. Interestingly the anti-H-2Db antibodies blocked the restricted virus-specific killing activity of the clones derived B10.BR----C57BL/10 chimeras much more effectively than the activity of the clones derived from conventional H-2b mice. The various clones differed with respect to their fine specificity for LCMV strains. The 3 clones of conventional B10.BR origin only recognized LCMV-WE but not LCMV-Armstrong, Aggressive or Docile; H-2b-restricted conventional clones recognized target cells infected with all LCMV strains except LCMV-UBC-Docile; the T cell clones from the bone marrow chimeras recognized with one exception all LCMV strains tested.