Establishment and initial characterization of continuous in vitro cultures of bovine T lymphocytes

Utilizing human recombinant interleukin 2 (HrIL-2) in combination with several mitogens, continuously growing cultures of bovine lymphocytes have been established. Continuous presence of HrIL-2 is required to maintain the growth of these cultures but a requirement for continued presence of mitogen seems variable. Cloned lines have been derived from these cultures by limiting dilution and outgrowth in the presence of mitomycin C treated bulk cells. Cell surface phenotype analysis indicates that all of these cultures and cloned lines are of the T cell lineage. Functional analysis indicated that some of these cultured cells are cytolytically active in lectin mediated assays whereas others are not. Utilization of this technology for the growth and characterization of bovine T cells will undoubtedly contribute to an enhanced understanding of the bovine immune response mechanisms.