Cytotoxic T lymphocytes directed against HLA-Bw 35-linked target determinants show differences in sensitivity toward...

Recently, we demonstrated that the outcome of human CML was influenced by the presence of antibiotics in the culture medium, In earlier studies we had found that cytotoxic T lymphocytes could recognize HLA-Bw 35-linked target determinants. These so-called Bw35 a and b determinants showed mendelian segregation. We describe in this article a difference between the Bw35 a and b cytotoxic T cells in their sensitivity toward antibiotics. The lysis against the Bw35 b cytotoxic determinant was not influenced by either the presence or the absence of antibiotics during the sensitization period, whereas the lysis against the Bw35 a cytotoxic determinant was drastically diminished when the effector cells were cultured in the absence of antibiotics during the sensitization period.