Prophylactic immunization against experimental leishmaniasis. VI. Comparison of protective and disease-promoting T cells.

In previous studies, we reported that mice immunized i.v. with lethally irradiated Leishmania major promastigotes developed substantial resistance to a subsequent L. major infection. However, such protection could be totally suppressed by prior s.c. injection with the same antigens. Both the protective immunity and the inhibition of its induction could be adoptively transferred with specific Lyt-2- T cells. Here, we present evidence showing that protection and disease promotion resulting from i.v. or s.c. immunization, respectively, are mediated by functionally distinct subsets of T cells. In a series of titration experiments, it was found that freshly isolated T cells derived from prophylactically i.v. immunized BALB/c mice were either protective (greater than 10(7) cells/recipient) or ineffective (less than 10(7) cells/recipient). No exacerbation of disease was observed at any dose. Conversely, T cells from mice immunized s.c. either accelerated disease development and inhibited protective immunization (greater than 10(7) cells/recipient) or had no effect (less than 10(7) cells/recipient). No protection was observed at any dose tested. In mixed transfer experiments, increasing numbers of T cells from s.c. immunized donors progressively inhibited the protective effect of T cells from i.v. immunized donors. Supernatant of T cell cultures from protectively immunized donors contained substantial macrophage-activating factor whereas such activity was not detectable in the supernatant of T cell culture from s.c. immunized donors. Analysis by flow cytometry showed that the spleen and lymph nodes of normal, i.v., or s.c. immunized BALB/c mice contained similar ratios of L3T4+ cells and Lyt-2+ cells.