Production, expansion, and clonal analysis of T cells with specific HLA-restricted male lysis.

A cytotoxic T cell (CT) lines grown as a population (CT line) was initiated from the peripheral blood lympocytes (PBL) of a female aplastic anemia patient who was known to express CT that were able to lyse HLA-A2-positive male cells. The anti-H-Y HLA-A2-restricted cytotoxic activity could be maintained over prolonged periods of time. The CT lines could be expanded and maintained in culture for >65 d by the use of mitogens and irradiated feeder cells. Out of 68 cultures obtained after cloning of the CT lines, 43 showed varying, but always specific, anti-H-Y HLA-A2-restricted lytic capacity on a per-cell basis. We could show that the cloned cultures were composed of >80% T cells that carry the HLA-A, -B, -C, and also the HLA-DR antigens identical to the original PBL.