Journal of Experimental Medicine, Vol 155, 1858-1863, Copyright © 1982 by Rockefeller University Press
Low dose radiosensitivity of alloimmune cytotoxic T cells
C Spellman and RE Anderson
Low dose radiosensitivity of in vitro generated alloimmune murine cytotoxic
T lymphocytes (CTL) was studied. It appears that a subset of CTL exists
that can be killed with 10-25 rad of x rays. These radiosensitive CTL are
Lyt-1,2+ T lymphocytes. Analyses of cytotoxicity by chromium release assays
indicate that the radiosensitive CTL are present in responder spleen cell
cultures from all strains of mice tested. The generation of these effector
cells is most pronounced in animals of the C57BL background. The mechanism
of low dose radiosensitivity appears to be interphase death.