A subset of human natural killer cells isolated and characterized by monoclonal antibodies

Abstract

Monoclonal antibodies were induced against leukemic T cells from a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia exhibiting natural killer (NK) activity. Two antibodies, termed T811 and M522, reacted by indirect immunofluorescence with distinct subpopulations of normal human mononuclear blood cells. The antibody T811 defines a surface antigen which is restricted to a subset of the T cell lineage. The antigen recognized by the second antibody, M522, is expressed on monocytes and polymor-phonuclear leukocytes and, in addition, on 9–17% of nonadherent peripheral blood leukocytes (NAL). It is shown that the total NK activity of NAL is confined to the subset of cells expressing the M522-defined antigen. Moreover, the portion of NK cytotoxicity associated with T lymphocytes is mediated by a subpopulation which is characterized by the simultaneous expression of the T811- and the M522-defined antigens. This population comprises about 4% of NAL and could be isolated to a purity of > 85%.