Three Cell Subsets Are Required for the Transfer of Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity Reaction by Antigen-Specific T Cell Lines

Antigen (trinitrochlorobenzene)-specific T cell lines were obtained by repeated stimulation of lymph node cells from immune mice with antigenin vitro.These T cell lines, consisting of more than 90% CD4+Vβ8.2+and 6 to 9% γδ+T lymphocytes, transfer contact sensitivity (CS) locally when injected at the same site as the challenge antigen, but fail to mediate a systemic passive transfer when injected iv. Injection of T cell lines together with spleen cells from mice immunized 1 day beforehand (1-day cells) allowed a successful, specific systemic transfer of CS. Phenotypic analysis showed that the 1-day immune cell was αβ+, γδ−, sIg−, CD3+, CD4−, CD8−, CD5+, B220 (CD45R)+, Thy 1.2+. The effect of 1-day immune cells occurred through a mechanism involving IL-4, as 1-day immune cells failed to allow systemic transfer of CS by T cell lines in recipient mice treated with mAb to IL-4. These observations strongly indicate that three cell subsets are required for the systemic passive transfer of CS by T cell lines: αβ+CD4+, γδ+, and a third cell subset, which is CD45R+, αβ+, CD3+, but double (CD4, CD8) negative.