USE OF FIXED AUTOLOGOUS STIMULATOR CELLS TO CORRECTLY PRESENT HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 VIRAL PEPTIDES TO NONHUMAN PRIMATE LYMPHOCYTES IN PROLIFERATION AND CYTOTOXIC T-LYMPHOCYTE ASSAYS

Autologous, virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines were establish ed by using peripheral blood lymphocytes from rhesus monkeys that were previously immunized with recombinant human immunodeficiency virus ty pe 1 strain IIIB glycoprotein 160. These autologous cell lines were us ed to present human immunodeficiency virus type 1 viral antigens in a processed and cell-associated manner to T lymphocytes. This was accomp lished by either infecting the cells with recombinant vaccinia viruses or pulsing them with synthetic peptides and then subjecting them to a mild fixation step with glutaraldehyde. Fixed antigen-presenting cell s were then used as stimulator cells in vitro to measure cell-mediated immune responses. Both the vaccinia virus-infected and peptide-pulsed autologous cells stimulated antigen-specific cellular proliferative r esponses. The magnitude of the responses correlated with the immunizat ion histories of the animals and other measures of immunity, such as a ntibody titers. Autologous vaccinia virus-infected cells were also cap able of inducing the in vitro maturation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) precurso r cytotoxic T lymphocytes into antigen-specific mature cytotoxic T lym phocytes. The use of stimulator cells to present viral peptides in a c ell-associated manner appeared to be a very sensitive and versatile ma nner in which to measure cell-mediated immune responses with periphera l blood lymphocytes from nonhuman primates. It is likely that a simila r approach will function with peripheral blood lymphocytes from humans .