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A model for investigating graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) activity following syngeneic and MHC-compatible allogeneic BMT has been developed in C57BL/6 (B6) mice with use of the c-myc retrovirus-transformed MMB3.19 myeloid leukemia line. The MMB3.19 line was derived from a B6 mouse and expresses monocyte/macrophage markers, including Mac-1, Mac-2, F4/80, and LFA-1, in addition to H-2 class I and class II molecules. A challenge dosage of 10(5) of these leukemia cells was found to be completely lethal when injected into irradiated (850 cGy) B6 recipients, 1 day after the transplantation of syngeneic donor T cell-depleted-bone marrow. The addition of T lymphocytes to the donor inoculum prolonged recipient survival, and both CD4+ and CD8+ subsets were found to be capable of mediating this GVL activity. For the MHC-compatible allogeneic model, the C3H.SW-->B6 (850 cGy) strain combination was utilized, in which CD8+ T cells are known to cause graft-versus-host disease directed to minor histocompatibility antigens expressed by the recipient. In this case, both CD(4+)- and CD(8+)-enriched T cells were found to be capable of mediating GVL activity to MMB3.19 challenge, particularly if donor mice were presensitized with leukemia cells. Of most significance, only the donor CD4+ T cells mediated a GVL effect without the apparent induction of graft-versus-host disease.
Korngold et al. (Mon,) studied this question.