Cytotoxic activity against rubella-infected cells in the supernatants of human lymphocyte cultures stimulated by rubella virus.

Supernatant fluids of lymphocyte cultures from rubella-seropositive donors, stimulated with inactivated rubella virus, showed cytotoxic activity against rubella-infected target cells (NYU 32 line of human embryonic fibroblasts) but not against uninfected fibroblasts. The time of appearance of cytotoxic activity in rubella-stimulated lymphocyte cultures correlated with increased rate of DNA synthesis as measured by thymidine uptake. No such cytotoxic activity became detectable in the supernatants of lymphocyte cultures from rubella-seronegative donors cultured in the presence of rubella virus, or in unstimulated lymphocyte cultures from seropositive or seronegative donors. The cytotoxic activity was lost at 60degreesC in 30 min. In contrast to this rubella virus-induced cytotoxic activity, cytotoxin produced in mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte cultures from rubella seropositive and seronegative donors was equally cytocidal against rubella-infected and uninfected human fibroblasts. Although the nature of cytotoxic activity remains to be characterized, it is suggested that it is associated with a lymphokine released immune-specifically from rubella virus-stimulated lymphocytes.