IL-2 AND TNF RECEPTORS AS TARGETS OF REGULATORY T-T INTERACTIONS - ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CYTOKINE RECEPTOR-REACTIVE T-CELL LINES IN THE LEWIS RAT

T cells are considered to be of prime importance in immune regulation of both B and T cell functions, The targets of recognition in T-T cell interactions are not clear, Most recent experimental work has focused on the idiotypic regulatory interactions mediated by TCR peptides, Th ere is experimental evidence that regulatory cells exist that do not r ecognize the TCR, This type of regulation is selectively induced by ac tivated T cells, Therefore, we designed this study to examine the poss ible role of cytokine receptors as targets of immune regulation, We te sted two peptides of IL-2R alpha-chain, 2 of IL-2R beta-chain, and one of TNFR (p60), All peptides were found to be immunogenic at inducing T cell proliferation and four induced Abs in Lewis rats. We generated T cell lines to these five peptides, and tested them both in vitro and in vivo. We found that the T cells exhibited a proliferative response when cultured with activated, irradiated stimulator cells that were a ugmented upon addition of the cytokine receptor peptide, The cytokine profile of the lines was characterized as well as the VP gene composit ion, One of the lines significantly protected against active encephalo myelitis, These results point at cytokine receptors as possible target s of immune regulation and T-T cell interactions.