CYTOTOXIC T-CELL CLONE AGAINST RECTAL-CARCINOMA INDUCED BY STIMULATION OF A PATIENTS PERIPHERAL-BLOOD MONONUCLEAR-CELLS WITH AUTOLOGOUS CULTURED TUMOR-CELLS

In an effort to establish cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTLs) against color ectal carcinoma (CRC) by stimulating patients' lymphocytes with autolo gous tumor cells, we used peripheral brood mononuclear cells (PBMC) fr om a patient with minimal residual rectal carcinoma following removal of the primary lesion and involved regional lymph nodes as a source to generate CTLs in culture. A CTL line and clone were established from the patient's PBMC following stimulation of PBMC with autologous, cult ured tumor cells and interleukin-2. The CTL line and the clone consist ed predominantly of CD4(+) lymphocytes. The CTL clone expressed two T- cell receptor variable alpha chains (V alpha 11 and V alpha 22) and on e beta chain (V beta 14). The cytokine secretion pattern of the CTL li ne was of the Th1-type. Both the CTL line and the clone lysed the auto logous rectal carcinoma cells, but not the allogeneic, partially human lymphocyte antigen (HLA)-matched or nonmatched CRC cells, autologous Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B cells, K562 (natural killer target) c ells or Daudi (lymphokine-activated killer target) cells. Lysis of aut ologous tumor cells most likely was HLA class I-restricted. Our unique success in generating CTLs against this tumor type may rest in the in clusion of a patient with minimal residual, rather than advanced, dise ase. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.