Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Antigen Specific Human T-Cell Lines are Cytolytic to Autologous Antigen Pulsed Macrophages

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a bacterial pathogen capable of survival and replication within human macrophages. Current ideas about antimycobacterial immunity grew out of the pioneering work of Lurie¹ and Mackaness². In summary, it is believed that acquired resistance to tuberculosis depends on T-cell mediated macrophage activation, resulting in an enhancement of the bacteriostatic or bacteriocidal capacity of the latter cells³. However, experimental confirmation of the above using human T-cells and macrophages has been very difficult (reviewed by Rook, 1987)⁴. Recent evidence indicates that murine T-cells possess cytolytic capacity against mycobacterial antigen bearing macrophages⁵. Adoptive transfer of such L3T4 negative Lyt-2 positive cells induces protection against intracellular bacterial infections including tuberculosis^5,6. Therefore, we have investigated the generation of human T-cell lines with cytotoxic capacity against mycobacterial-antigen-pulsed macrophages.