Generation of autoreactive cytotoxic lymphocytes by spontaneously established autologous lymphoblastoid cell line.

Using spontaneously established autologous and allogeneic LCL as stimulator and target cells, we studied the generation of autoreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in primary and secondary autologous MLC. In the primary autologous MLC, cytotoxic activity was detected on the 6th day and was found to be specific to autologous LCL. In the secondary autologous MLC, cytotoxic activity was detected earlier on the 3rd day, and was at a higher level than in the case of the primary autologous MLC. This cytotoxic activity was induced in both the primary and the secondary autologous MLC when T lymphocytes were used as responder cells. When autologous LCL-primed lymphocytes were used as responder cells in the secondary MLC, autologous LCL-specific CTL were not only generated by autologous LCL but also by allogeneic LCL, and the autologous LCL-specific CTL induced by allogeneic LCL was thought to be due to the nonspecific helper effect of allogeneic LCL-stimulation.