Difference in capacity of Sendai virus envelope components to induce cytotoxic T lymphocytes in primary and secondary immune responses.

Studies were made on the abilities of Sendai virus envelope components to induce primary and secondary generations of virus-specific cytotoxic mouse T lymphocytes (CTL). The primary CTL response in BALB/c mice was induced by reassembled envelope particles that had fusion activity but not by envelope glycoproteins without fusion activity, although both preparations induced a humoral immune response. Reconstitution of membrane-bound envelope proteins from envelope glycoproteins with lipids restored the fusion activity and the capacity to induce CTL. Target cells susceptible to virus-specific CTL could be induced by reassembled envelope particles, but not by envelope glycoproteins or LLC-MK2 cell-grown Sendai virus, neither of which had fusion activity. On the other hand, all the viruses and envelope components tested were found to stimulate a virus-specific CTL response in the in vitro secondary generation of CTL from virus-primed spleen cells. These results suggest that Senaei virus fusion activity is involved in primary induction of the CTL response as well as in target cell formation, but that it is not essential for secondary stimulation of the CTL response.