Dissection of a Suppressor Cell Cascade

Abstract

The preparation of monoclonal T cell hybridomas and isolation of biologically active factors derived from these cells, provides a means for isolating the individual T cell subsets that exist within heterogeneous T cell populations. This approach is especially useful when dissecting immune phenomena which require the interactions of several T cell subsets. Immune suppression is one such T cell mediated activity which involves multiple T cell subpopulations and several distinct soluble factors. Although initial characterization of the various suppressor cells (Ts) has been possible with heterogeneous Ts populations, it remains difficult to analyze the contributions of individual Ts subsets and to ensure that a single subset instead of a mixture of subsets is being studied. Furthermore, the quantities of cells or factors obtained from conventional cell preparations are often insufficient for detailed analysis. Thus the establishment of monoclonal Ts hybridomas provides an ideal tool for characterizing the individual Ts subsets, their products, and their interactions.