Functional evaluation of murine allogeneic T lymphoblasts separated by Vicia villosa lectin positivity

Mixed-lymphocyte culture-stimulated cells have been fractionated by their ability to bind the lectin Vicia villosa (Vv) and assessed for their cytolytic and suppressor activity in vitro. Vv positive and negative cells were separated either by cell affinity chromatography using Vv-Sepharose 6MB chromatography or by electronic cell sorting with FITC-Vv. Both populations expressed marked cytolytic and suppressor cell activity. Thus this lectin cannot be used to discriminate between these and other functional lymphoid cell population of blastoid cells binding the FITC-Vv appears following allogeneic stimulation; treatment with the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A, which affects cytotoxic cells preferentially, results in a considerable reduction of the Vv positive blastoid cells.