TH1/TH2 SUBSET ANALYSIS .1. ESTABLISHMENT OF CRITERIA FOR SUBSET IDENTIFICATION IN PBMC SAMPLES FROM NONHUMAN-PRIMATES

Cloned T-cell lines from two nonhuman primate species were phenotyped and their mRNA analyzed for cytokine profiles by RT-PCR procedures. PBMC from rhesus macaques showed a relatively high frequency of cloned T-cell lines with a TH1-like profile; PBMC from sooty mangabeys showed a relatively high frequency of TH2-like cloned T-cell lines. In vitro activated macaque PBMC also resulted in a high frequency of CD4+, CD8+ dual marked cells. These findings suggest that cytokine analysis of cloned T-cell lines from nonhuman primates provides a means to distinguish subsets of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.