Radiation sensitivity of T-lymphocytes grown with recombinant human interleukin-2

gamma-Ray and UV sensitivities of phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated T-lymphocytes were examined in the presence of the recombinant human interleukin-2 (IL-2). D0 values for the survival curves after gamma-irradiation varied from 0.90 to 1.25 Gy, and were comparable to those reported for human fibroblast cells. By fractionated exposure of gamma-rays, T-lymphocytes were shown to have the repair capacity for the sublethal damage. UV-survival curves yielded D0 of 6.5 J/m2 for T-lymphocytes from normal donors. T-Lymphocytes from a xeroderma pigmentosum patient with extremely low excision repair were markedly hypersensitive to UV (D0, 1.4 J/m2). T-Lymphocytes may be used to detect individuals who are sensitive to radiation or chemicals, and this method takes less time than that using fibroblast cells.