Mechanisms of simian gamma delta T cell cytotoxicity against tumor and immunodeficiency virus-infected cells

The mechanisms of cytotoxic killing of various tumor cell lines and immunodeficiency virus-infected T cell lines by simian gamma delta T cells were examined. The lysis of the majority of the target cell lines by gamma delta effecters was calcium-dependent, indicating that cytotoxicity is mediated by the perforin/granzyme pathway rather than the Fas-FasL pathway, with the exception of Jurkat cells. The gamma delta T cells were able to suppress SIV replication as measured by the p27 ELISA and the suppression was contact-dependent. We further determined that the target cells were induced to undergo apoptosis by the gamma delta T cell effecters. These results contribute to our understanding of the function of simian gamma delta T cells and their similarities to human gamma delta T cells, and extend our knowledge on the cytotoxic mechanisms employed by gamma delta T cells in general.