Rat cytotoxic T lymphocytes against human T-lymphotropic virus type 1-infected cells recognize gag gene and env gene encoded antigens.

T cell immune responses in syngeneic WKA/H rats were analyzed by using lymphoid cell lines, TARS-1, TART-1, and TARL-2, infected with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). Spleen cells of rats in which these cell lines had been rejected were sensitized in vitro with the same cell lines, and cells cytotoxic to these HTLV-1+ cell lines, and cells cytotoxic to these HTLV-1+ cell lines were generated. The effector cells were CTL of the CD5+ CD8+ phenotype and showed restriction of MHC class I Ag. Direct tests as well as cold target cell inhibition tests with an array of cell populations showed that these CTL reacted only with syngeneic HTLV-1+ cell lines. When xenogeneic HTLV-1+ cell lines were similarly utilized for in vitro sensitization, rat CTL specific for syngeneic HTLV-1+ cells were generated. They were not, however, reactive with xenogeneic HTLV-1+ cells used for sensitization. Syngeneic rat cells selectively expressing gag, env, or pX gene coded Ag were prepared by infection of recombinant vaccinia viruses. In cold target cell inhibition tests of anti-HTLV-1 CTL with thus prepared cells, cytotoxicity against the syngeneic HTLV-1+ cells line, TARS-1, was inhibited by syngeneic cells expressing gag gene or env gene coded Ag. Inhibition was, however, more consistent and more dominant by cells with gag gene than those with env gene. Syngeneic cells with pX gene and MHC class I incompatible cells with gag, env, or pX gene did not inhibit cytotoxicity.