Recruitment of functional subpopulations of T lymphocytes. Initiator T lymphocytes recruit helper T cells for cytotoxic response.

Initiator T (Ti) lymphocytes are defined by their ability to recruit other T cell populations in vivo. In this study the function of T cells recruited into draining lymph nodes following injection of Ti cells primed to alloantigens in mixed lymphocyte culture was examined. The results demonstrate that alloantigen-specific helper T cells that interact with cytotoxic T (Tc) lymphocyte precursors are recruited, as shown by the significantly higher frequencies of helper cells in draining lymph nodes compared with controls. However, neither Tc cells nor their precursors are recruited. Recruitment by Ti lymphocytes is therefore selective for certain T cell subsets. Proposals to explain the mechanism, specificity, and selectivity of recruitment are discussed. We suggest that Ti cells have a central role in both the initiation of T cell-dependent immune responses and in the maintenance of immunologic memory. Their function is the rapid mobilization of T cell subclasses to a regional lymphoid organ where the immune response subsequently develops.