Mechanism of recovery from acute virus infection. III. Subclass of T lymphocytes mediating clearance of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus from the spleens of mice.

Spleen T lymphocytes from mice undergoing acute infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCM virus) were negatively selected by treatment with anti-Lyt or anti-L3T4 antibodies and complement. The subsets thus obtained were tested for their potential to lyse LCM virus-infected target cells in vitro and to confer on infected syngeneic recipients the ability to eliminate virus rapidly from their spleens. Both capacities were found to be associated with Lyt-1-2+, L3T4- cells. Previous studies had shown that LCM virus-specific cytotoxicity in vitro as well as reduction of replication of LCM virus in the adoptively immunized mouse requires compatibility at K and/or D of the major histocompatibility complex, and we conclude that clearance of LCM virus from the mouse's spleen is mediated by the subset of T lymphocytes that is functionally characterized as cytotoxic/suppressive.