Long-term antigen specific and non-specific T-cell lines and clones in uveitis

T-cell lines, initially expanded with either mitogens or the uveitogenic S-antigen obtained from the eyes of three uveitis patients, were maintained in vitro for 4-8 weeks. S-antigen specific T-cell clones were derived from the peripheral blood of a fourth patient. The surface marker characteristics clearly demonstrate these cells to be T-cells. Both OKT4+ and OKT8+ clones and cell lines were found using immunofluorescence microscopy, an ELISA technique, or the laser cytofluorograph, but some could be only definitely identified as T-cells with the antibody to the IL-2 receptor, and not the OKT series of monoclonal anti-sera. These studies underscore how dynamic the expression of T-cell membrane markers can be, and that commercially available monoclonal anti-sera to T-cell membrane markers may not identify all T-cells in long term culture. This is the first report of the isolation of an antigen specific T-cell clone relevant to the eye, and the technique described will allow clonal expansion of ocular cells in order to study their functional characteristics.