THE IMMUNE-RESPONSE TO CLASS I-ASSOCIATED TUMOR-SPECIFIC CUTANEOUS T-CELL LYMPHOMA ANTIGENS

In order to determine whether the neoplastic T cells from patients wit h cutaneous T-cell lymphoma express tumor-specific antigens that can s erve as the targets of an immune response, we took advantage of family -specific monoclonal antibodies, magnetic bead technology, and recombi nant cytokines, which provided the previously precluded ability to iso late and expand populations of purified tumor and autologous CD8 cytot oxic T cells, Four patients with advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma ha d CDS cells that specifically killed autologous tumor in a class I lim ited fashion, Tumor cell cytolysis could be specifically enhanced by p re-culture with autologous gamma-irradiated tumor. The cytolytic T cel ls produced tumor necrosis factor-alpha in response to stimulation wit h autologous tumor. The presence of tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells r ecognizing distinctive class I associated molecules on cutaneous T-cel l lymphoma tumor cells suggests that infiltration of early lesions by CD8 cells reflects host immunity to the neoplasm, These studies provid e the foundation for the development of tumor vaccines through the use of cytotoxic T cells to isolate and characterize tumor-associated cut aneous T-cell lymphoma peptides.