Differential natural killer cell reactivity against T cell lymphomas by cells from normal or stimulated mice.

One of the major problems confronting the study of NK cell populations concerns their potential recognition patterns and specificity. In this study three T cell lymphomas that differ markedly in their susceptibility to NK-mediated lysis from normal mice are shown to bear quantitatively but not qualitatively different degrees of NK target structures. The ability of these tumors to be lysed by NK cells can be drastically changed by augmentation of NK activity by LCM virus, but in a manner that differs relatively for the different targets. Comparison of the growth of these tumors in vivo strongly suggests an in vivo action for NK cells.