Isolation and characterisation of human T-cell lines from a patient with Chagas' disease

Short-term T-cell lines reactive to different Trypanosoma cruzi antigens were isolated from a patient with Chagas' disease. These T-cell lines were analysed phenotypically with monoclonal antibodies defining pan-T (T11), helper (T4), or cytotoxic/suppressor epitopes by the use of a continuous-flow microfluorimeter. One cell line, 5C3, was obtained from T-cell blasts reactive to formaldehyde-fixed amastigotes (the intracellular stage of the parasite) plated at limiting dilution (3.3 cells/well). This line was shown to be T11 and T4 positive, to respond to specific antigen in an HLA-DR restricted manner, and to produce interleukin-2 under similar growth conditions.