Recognition and lysis of human melanoma by a CD3 super(+), CD4 super(+), CD8 super(-) T-cell clone restricted by HLA-A2

• Published in: Cellular immunology Vol. 172; no. 1; pp. 52 - 59
• Main Authors: Darrow, T L, Abdel-Wahab, Z, Quinn-Allen, MA, Seigler, H F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.08.1996
• ISSN: 0008-8749

The in vitro cytotoxic response to human melanoma is characterized by CD3 super(+) CD8 super(+) T-cells which recognize shared peptide antigens presented in the context of HLA class-I-encoded gene products. We report here studies of a CD3 super(+), CD4 super(+), CD8 super(-), HLA-A2-restricted, melanoma-specific cytotoxic T-cell clone derived by limiting dilution from a T-cell line induced in PBLs from a melanoma patient following in vitro stimulation with an HLA-A2-matched melanoma cell line. The CD4 super(+) cytotoxic T-cell clone is lytic only for melanomas which share the HLA-A2 allele, and the cytotoxicity is blocked by antibody to the T-cell receptor and by antibody to HLA class I. The clone proliferates only following stimulation with HLA-A2-matched melanoma tumor cells. The data suggest that cytotoxic CD4 super(+) T-cells may play a significant role in immunity to melanoma, and HLA class-I-restricted recognition of melanoma may not necessarily require the CD8 molecule on the lytic T-cell.