Concanavalin A-induced activation of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus memory lymphocytes into specifically cytotoxic T cells.

When spleen cells, which have been primed to Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCM) virus during a primary infection several months previously, are stimulated in vitro with Con A. highly specific secondary cytotoxic effector cells are generated. The degree of cytotoxicity revealed by such Con A-stimulated cells is higher than that of non-incubated spleen cells harvested nine days following the primary infection, and the effect is totally inhibited by anti-theta serum plus complement treatment of the effector cells immediately before the cytotoxic test.