Cloning CD8+ cytolytic T lymphocytes

Abstract

CD8+ T lymphocyte cloning has resulted in many fundamental advances: structural elucidation of peptide-MHC recognition, spatiotemporal dissection of the thymic positive and negative selection processes and isfurther expected, TCRs being the key molecules controlling T cell activation, to provide us with molecular tools of immuno-therapeutical interest for infectious, tumor, and autoimmune diseases. However, cloning CD8+ T lymphocytes remains a relatively dif fi cult enterprise. Cloning mouse CD8+ T lymphocytes that will be fi rst consider is to some extend facilitated by our complete control of the in vivo priming process and the unlimited access we usually have to perfectly suited (syngeneic) antigen presenting cells. Cloning human CD8+ T lymphocytes is more dif fi cult largely but not exclusively for ethical reasons. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2013.