Dissection of distinct human immunoregulatory T-cell subsets by a monoclonal antibody recognizing a cell surface antigen with wide tissue distribution.

A monoclonal antibody, PVR-11, was obtained after hybridization of X63Ag8.653 murine myeloma cells with spleen cells from a mouse immunized with human lymphocytes. It recognizes a 175,000- to 185,000-dalton surface antigen present on approximately 80% of normal human peripheral T lymphocytes, 50% of non-T non-B cells, and less than 10% of B cells as determined by complement-dependent microcytotoxicity. It is also present on various leukemia T cells, on some but not all T lymphoblastoid cell lines, and on a small fraction of some B lymphoblastoid cell lines. Some B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells also express the PVR-11 antigen. Functional analysis of normal human T lymphocytes demonstrated that the PVR-11-depleted T-cell subset contains the precursors of both cytotoxic and suppressor cells but lacks helper cells. On the other hand, cytotoxic effector T cells express the PVR-11 antigen. These results demonstrate that antigenic determinants with relatively wide tissue distribution can dissect functionally distinct human immunoregulatory T-cell subsets.