SYNGENEIC LYSIS OF RETICULOENDOTHELIOSIS VIRUS-TRANSFORMED CELL-LINESTRANSFECTED WITH MAREKS-DISEASE VIRUS GENES BY VIRUS-SPECIFIC CYTOTOXIC T-CELLS

Cell-mediated immune responses against Marek's disease virus (MDV) ant igens were examined using reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV)-transforme d cell lines of two haplotypes ((BB19)-B-19 and (BB13)-B-13). These ce ll lines were stably transfected with cloned fragments of MDV DNA resu lting in the expression of the MDV-specific phosphoprotein pp38. Effec tor cells were obtained from P2a ((BB19)-B-19) and S13 ((BB13)-B-13) c hickens at 7 days post inoculation with REV, oncogenic or attenuated s erotype 1 MDV (JM-16/O and JM-16/A, respectively), serotype 2 MDV (SB- 1), or herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT). Transfection of MDV genes did not influence the expression of Class I major histocompatibility complex antigens. The optimal effector to target cell ratio was determined to be 100:1. REV-sensitized effector cells lysed REV cell lines and REV c ell lines transfected with MDV DNA in a syngeneic fashion. Effector ce lls from chickens inoculated with JM-16/O, JM16/A, SB-1 or HVT lysed o nly the syngeneic, transfected cell lines, but not the parent REV cell lines. The percentage specific release caused by the MDV-sensitized e ffector cells was low, but statistically significant.