Differentiation of an immortalized CNS neuronal cell line decreases their susceptibility to cytotoxic T cell lysis in vitro

RN33B cells are temperature-sensitive neuronal cell line derived from rat E12 medullary raphe nucleus (Whittemore and White (1993) Brain Research 615, 27–40). Undifferentiated RN33B cells express class I but not class II antigens of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), a ligand for lymphocyte function associated antigen-1 (LFA-1), expressed on cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Treatment of undifferentiated RN33B cells with interferon-γ (IFN-γ) upregulated both class I MHC and ICAM-1. After neuronal differentiated, expression of class I MHC antigens or ICAM-1 was undetected, even after IFN-γ treatment. The neuronally differentiated RN33B cells were also markedly less susceptible to to lysis by alloantigen-specific CTLs. These data suggest that intrinsic to the differentiation of CNS neurons is a mechanism to escape CTL-mediated cell lysis.