Potentiation of cytotoxic T-cell function by virus.

Inoculation of C57BL/6J mice with allogeneic P815 mastocytoma cells in the presence of simian virus 40 (SV40), a DNA tumor virus, led to an enhanced cytolytic T-cell response to P815 in vivo. Cytotoxic function was also augmented if SV40 was given subsequent to a primary immunization, even when mice were given a suboptimal dose of immunizing cells. Although SV40 increased the cell-mediated immune response to allogeneic cells, it did not enhance the antibody response to the soluble antigen dinitrophenyl bovine gamma-globulin, a helper T-cell-dependent response. Thus it appeared that SV40 had a selective adjuvant effect on lymphocyte subpopulations, since it increased cytotoxicity but not helper T-cell function.