Human cytotoxic T-lymphocyte recognition of an HLA-A3 gene product expressed on murine L cells: the only human gene product required on the target cells for lysis is the class I heavy chain.

To dissect the molecular basis for T-cell recognition of class I major histocompatibility complex antigens, we have examined the ability of human cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) to recognize murine L cells transformed with a human class I gene. Three transformed L-cell lines were generated that expressed the human HLA-A3 gene from donor E1 at levels comparable to those of the endogenous L-cell H-2Kk molecules. CTL were generated in secondary and tertiary mixed lymphocyte culture against the HLA-A3 subtype of donor E1 by culturing irradiated E1 peripheral blood lymphocytes with the peripheral blood lymphocytes of responder donor M3 (M3 shares all defined class I antigens with E1 but expresses a different HLA-A3 subtype). Each of the HLA-A3-transformed L cells was lysed by M3 anti-E1 CTL in a short-term 51Cr release assay and this recognition was blocked by a monoclonal anti-HLA-A3 antibody. Antibodies specific for the human T8 and LFA-1 molecules on the CTL effectors (but absent from the transformed targets) also blocked lysis of each of the HLA-A3 transformed L-cell targets. Antibodies to other T-cell molecules failed to block lysis. The present results demonstrate that human CTL can recognize human class I molecules on targets that do not express any other human gene product and further suggest that effector T-cell molecules T8 and LFA-1 are functionally involved in this recognition process.