Cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses by chimeric thymocytes. Self-recognition is determined early in T cell development.

In this study the cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) recognition pattern of thymocytes from recently reconstituted parent leads to F1 and F1 leads to parent radiation bone marrow chimeras was investigated. Chimeric thymocytes were entirely of donor origin approximately 4 wk after irradiation and reconstitution but were not capable of autonomously generating either alloreactive or trinitrophenyl (TNP)-modified-self-reactive CTL responses. However, in the presence of interleukin-2 (I1-2), the the putative T helper cell product, CTL could be generated in vitro by thymocytes from recently reconstituted chimeras. Experiments with thymocytes from A leads to A X B and A X B leads to A chimeras revealed the following: (a) thymocytes from both types of chimeras were nonreactive to either A or B parental major-histocompatibility complex (MHC) determinants even though they were alloreactive to third-party stimulator cells; and (b) thymocytes from these chimeras were restricted to the recognition of TNP in association with MHC determinants syngeneic to the chimeric host. Thus, these experiments demonstrate that even at the earliest time CTL effectors of donor origin from the thymuses of chimeras can be studied, their self-receptor repertoire has already been restricted to recognition of host MHC determinants. These results support the concept that the host environment influences the self-recognition capacity of T cells at the pre- or intrathymic stage of differentiation.