Extravascular natural cytotoxicity in man: Anti‐K562 activity of lymph‐node and tumour‐infiltrating lymphocytes

Abstract

A major distinction is reported between the cytolytic activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and that of lymph-node and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) against targets of the NK-sensitive K562 cell line in short-term 51Cr release assays. In the PBL of normal donors and lung cancer patients in whom disease was advanced anti-K562 reactivity, though variable, was consistently detectable and this activity could be augmented to a similar extent in patients and controls by treatment of effectors with exogenous interferon (IF). By contrast anti-K562 activity in lymph-node cells (LNC) and TIL was virtually absent and significant levels could not be induced by exposure to IF. This activity was not attributable to coexistent suppressor cells for NK function since admixture of LNC and TIL with normal PBL failed to modulate K562 killing by the latter. The results imply that K562-reactive NK cells and their precursors may frequently be present at sub-threshold levels in the lymph nodes of tumour-bearing patients and a similar explanation could account for the inactivity of TIL. However, in the latter situation, actively-induced NK dysfunction in situ incapable of regeneration by IF, and attributable to as yet undefined tumour-associated factors, may also be involved.

Expression of MHC products and leucocyte differentiation antigens in gynaecological neoplasms: An immunohistological analysis of the tumour cells and infiltrating leucocytes

“…This conclusion is in concordance with earlier functional and morphological data on a variety of tumours from several laboratories (Moore & Vose, 1981;Eremin et al, 1981;Pizzolo et al, 1984) and on ovarian cancer, in particular (Introna et al, 1983;Kabawat et al, 1983). The implications are that NK cells, which are maximally expressed in blood and spleen rarely extravasate and any direct anti-tumour activity is consequently very limited or non-existent.…”

Expression of major histocompatibility antigens and leucocyte infiltration in benign and malignant human breast disease

“…Even so, there are likely to be few: since up to 60% of HNK1 + cells are also OKM1+ (Abo et al, 1982a) it would appear that most of the OKM1 + cells in the tumours are macrophages. This conclusion accords with functional studies conducted with lymphoid cells recovered from freshly disaggregated neoplasms wherein breast, in common with other solid tumours has generally disclosed low or non-existent levels of NK activity, (Vose et al, 1977;Totterman et al, 1978;Moore & Vose, 1981;Eremin et al, 1981;Introna et al, 1983). The recent availability of McAbs with greater selectivity for NK cells should allow further examination of this question (Perussia et al, 1983a, b …”

Differential immune reactivity of tumour-intrinsic and peripheral-blood lymphocytes against autoplastic colorectal carcinoma cells

“…Furthermore, Moore and Vose (1981) failed to demonstrate NK cells in human TIL populations as defined by the inability of these effectors to show cytotoxicity to the K562 cell line. The relative failure of unwashed TIL to show cytotoxicity for autoplastic tumour cells, as reported elsewhere , contrasts with greatly improved cytotoxicity of washed cells, seen also by Werkmeister et at.…”