In vivo antiviral effect of cytotoxic T lymphocyte clones specific for lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.

Cloned cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) specific for lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) virus are able to eliminate infectious virus from the spleens of LCM virus-infected syngeneic recipient mice upon adoptive transfer. From 4 clones tested, 2 exhibited antiviral activity in vivo. Intravenously transferred cloned cells migrated poorly to the spleen of recipient mice, in that only 2% of the injected cells were localized in this organ. Based on this rate of homing, it could be shown that the in vivo antiviral effect exerted by cloned CTL was about 10 times higher than the in vivo antiviral activity exhibited by primary in vivo generated LCM virus-immune spleen T cells.