COMPARISON OF NATURAL-KILLER CELLS INDUCED BY KUNJIN VIRUS AND CORYNEBACTERIUM-PARVUM WITH THOSE OCCURRING NATURALLY IN NUDE-MICE

Natural killer (NK) cells are rapidly elicited in the spleen and peritoneal cavity of mice inoculated i.v. or i.p. with live Kunjin virus and more slowly in the peritoneal cavity of mice inoculated i.p. with formalin-inactivated C. parvum [Propionibacterium acnes]. NK cells induced by either agent display cytotoxicity for a similar spectrum of syngeneic, allogeneic and xenogeneic cultured cell lines. The cells occurring naturally in the spleen of congenitally athymic (nude) mice show substantially lower NK activity and are cytotoxic for a more restricted range of target cell lines. There may be more than 1 type of NK cell. Activation may enhance the cytoxicity and perhaps broaden the range of target specificity of endogenous NK cells.