Cloning of Human Alloreactive T Cells

This chapter discusses cloning of human alloreactive T cells. Human alloreactive T cell clones have proved invaluable for the immunogenetic analysis of MHC-encoded determinants. Polyclonal cell populations, used initially to define allostimulatory specificities on HLA class I and class II molecules, do not reflect single T cell interaction sites on the target molecules. Alloreactive human T cell clones will undoubtedly be of use in HLA typing, especially in identifying HLA determinants for organ transplantation. Analysis of the effector and regulatory functions of such T cells as well as an understanding of the genetic factors controlling cellular interactions have benefited from analysis using clonal populations. When stimulated in vitro, T cells secrete soluble factors called “lymphokines,” and cloned T cells are ideal sources to study the induction and biochemical nature of these T cell hormones.