USE OF RECOMBINANT VACCINIA TO RESTIMULATE ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC HUMAN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD CYTOTOXIC T-LYMPHOCYTES

A simple method is described for using recombinant vaccinia virus for restimulating human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to gener ate antigen specific CD8 + alpha beta cytotoxic T cell (CTL) effector populations. Effector PBMC were restimulated in vitro with a subpopula tion of PBMC, which had been infected with recombinant vaccinia at ver y low multiplicities of infection in the absence of serum. This protoc ol avoided the vaccinia mediated overt cytopathic effects on the effec tor PBMC and generated bulk CTL cultures, which could be used for the identification of epitopes recognised by antigen specific CTL. (C) 199 7 Elsevier Science B.V.