Intratumoral Accumulation and Clonal Expansion May Not Be Decisive for Rejection of Allogeneic Tumors by CD8+ T-Lymphocytes

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the spatial distribution and proliferation of adoptively transferred CD8⁺ T-lymphocytes sensitized against allogeneic tumors.

Materials and methods: Transgenic β-actin-luc mice that express luciferase were sensitized against allogeneic SL2 lymphoma. CD8⁺ T-lymphocytes from these mice were transferred to lymphocyte-deficient, recombination activating gene-deficient (Rag^-/-) mice bearing SL2 tumors and were tracked using bioluminescence imaging.

Results: Two out of six Rag^-/- mice rejected their tumors. There were no apparent differences in spatial distribution and proliferative intensity of adoptively-transferred CD8⁺ T-lymphocytes between the two Rag^-/- mice that rejected allogeneic SL2 tumors and the four Rag^-/- mice that did not.

Conclusion: The pattern of distribution in the mouse body and proliferative intensity of CD8⁺ T-lymphocytes do not seem to be decisive factors influencing allogeneic tumor rejection.

Keywords: CD8+ T-lymphocytes; Murine tumor model; adoptive transfer; bioluminescence imaging.