Cytotoxic activity of normal and Herpesvirus saimiri-transformed nonhuman primate cells.

Owl monkey mononuclear cells were separated from peripheral blood by centrifugation on Ficoll gradients, removal of adherent cells, and subsequent separation on discontinuous Percoll gradients. Lymphocytes recovered from the various fractions were tested for cytotoxic reactivity immediately after isolation. Low-density cells, enriched in large granular lymphocytes (LGL), demonstrated cytotoxic activity against the human natural killer-susceptible cell lines MOLT 4 and K562. In addition, IL-2-independent T-cell lines which had been obtained by immortalization with the primate herpesvirus Herpesvirus saimiri showed cytotoxicity, even after prolonged culture in vitro, similar to that demonstrated by fresh LGL. Cytotoxic activity of these lines was regulated by IL-2 in a fashion which appeared to be independent of the growth-promoting effects of this lymphokine. These results indicate a function for IL-2 beyond its role in supporting cellular proliferation. Cytotoxic activity could also be demonstrated in culture fluids from one of these cell lines (70N2). In addition, these results indicate the usefulness of immortalized cell lines (like 70N2) as a potential source for studies of the biochemical characterization and purification of supernatants containing cytotoxic factors.