Inhibition of specific cell-mediated cytotoxicity by anti-T-cell receptor antibody.

The present study describes a method for the production of a specific anti-T-cell receptor antiserum, and characteristics of its ability to block specific cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro. Immunization and antiserum adsorption procedures were designed to select for idiotypic differences in the recognition units of C3H lymphocytes immune to two different strains of mouse cells, such that the reactivity of only one population of effector cells is inhibited by this antiserum. Both in vivo and in vitro sensitized effector T cells are subject to this inhibition. That the site of the antiserum blockade is clearly on the effector cell and not on the target cell is demonstrated.