Human T-cell clones

Methods in Molecular Medicine
G Pawelec

Abstract

Techniques for generating human T-cell clones (TCCs) were first described nearly two decades ago (1, 2). This was a direct consequence of the discovery of T-cell growth factor and the subsequent ability to propagate T-cells over extended periods (3). Early on, numerous publications in immunology indicated an apparently unlimited growth potential of normal mammalian T lymphocyte cultures; however, even at this time, other investigators challenged this conclusion (4, 5). Nonetheless, the possibility remained that at least some TCCs represented an exception to the rule of the Hayflick Limit for growth of normal somatic cells. If this were the case, the real relevance of replicative senescence as a universal phenomenon would be highly questionable. On the other hand, if those T-cells surviving apparently indefinitely were endowed with the properties of stem cells rather than differentiated cells, this quandary would be resolved. However, as far as could be judged, the apparently immortal TCCs described in the literature seemed to possess all the attributes of normal T-cells, not stem cells. Several explanations for this apparent paradox have been proposed, the most likely of which may be that such immortal lines are in fact abnorma...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Adult Stem Cells

Adult stem cells reside in unique niches that provide vital cues for their survival, self-renewal, and differentiation. They hold great promise for use in tissue repair and regeneration as a novel therapeutic strategies. Here is the latest research.