Differential sensitivity of CD8+ suppressor and cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity to bacterial monophosphoryl lipid A

Abstract

Treatment with a preparation of monophosphoryl lipid A, known to be capable of abolishing the expression of CD8+ suppressor T cell activity generated during the antibody response to type III pneumococcal polysaccharide (SSS-III), was found to have no adverse effect upon either induction or expression of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity specific for influenza A virus antigens. This suggests that suppressor T cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes represent functionally distinct subsets of CD8+ T cells which can be differentiated on the basis of their sensitivities to inactivation by monophosphoryl lipid A.