The effects of neuraminidase and galactose oxidase on murine lymphocytes. I. Evidence for the differential delivery of signal(s) leading to cell proliferation and the differentiation of cytotoxic T cells.

The sequential treatment of normal C57BL/6 mouse spleen cell populations with neuraminidase (NA) and galactose oxidase (GO) resulted in cell proliferation, but not in the differentiation of cytotoxic T cells. In contrast, C57BL/6 spleen cells derived from animals primed 5 to 8 months earlier with alloantigen (P815 mastocytoma cells of the DBA/2 strain) both proliferated and demonstrated T cell-mediated cytotoxicity after NAGO stimulation. T cells differentiating into cytotoxic cells after NAGO treatment demonstrated properties similar to alloantigen-specific 'memory' T cells. These were: 1) cytotoxicity developed only from 'primed' cell populations, 2) cytotoxicity developed within 24 hr after NAGO treatment, 3) DNA synthesis was not required for the differentiation of cytotoxic cells during the first 24 hr of culture but both DNA synthesis and cell proliferation were required for the cytotoxicity developing after 24 hr, and 4) all cytotoxicity induced by NAGO showed specificity for the priming alloantigen. It was found, furthermore, that cytotoxicity could be induced at much lower GO concentrations than needed for increased DNA synthesis. We interpret this finding as an indication that NAGO can differentially deliver two 'signals' to T lymphocytes: one leading to cell proliferation, the other causing the differentiation of memory T cells into cytotoxic effectors.