# HUMAN T-CELL ACTIVATION IN AUTOIMMUNITY

> **NIH NIH R01** · SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY · 1987 · $114,542

## Abstract

The purpose of this proposal is to investigate human T cell activation in
normal and autoimmune states by using antibodies to the T3 and antigen
receptor molecules as probes.  We have evidence to suggest that treatment
of T lymphocytes with anti-T3 antibodies induces the expression of
receptors for IL-2 and thus renders the cells sensitive to the growth
promoting effects of this lymphokine.  Using the synthetic peptide
approach, we have prepared heteroantisera and monoclonal antibodies to the
beta chain of the antigen receptor.  In preliminary studies, the
heteroantisera recognize by surface immunofluorescence 20% of peripheral
blood lymphocytes and T cell tumor lines, but are unreactive with B
lymphocytes.  In T cell lysates, they recognize a molecule of 44 Kd size,
consistent with the molecular weight of the beta chain of the antigen
receptor.  Finally, similar to the anti-T3 antibodies, they can render T
cells sensitive to the growth promoting effects of IL-2.  In other studies,
various samples from monoclonal antibody cultures stained 24-66% of the
leukemic T cell line MOLT-3 from which the sequence of the beta chain was
obtained.  Furthermore, one of the supernatant cultures was able to induce
peripheral T cell proliferation in the presence of exogenous recombinant
IL-2.

We propose to further characterize the anti-beta chain reagents by
analyzing their functional effects on T cells and thymocytes, their
reactivities with various cell types and the identity of their reactive
molecule(s) on cell surfaces.  We will further assess the effects of
glycosylation on the expression of their reactive molecules.  Finally, we
will study their T cell subset specificity.

We shall study metabolic and molecular events induced by stimulating T
cells by anti-beta chain and anti-T3 antibodies.  We shall examine the
intracellular Ca++ mobilization as it relates to the expression of
receptors for the Ca++ regulating hormone 1,25 Dihydroxyvitamin D3, as well
as membrane phosphorylation events.  Furthermore, we shall test for the
transcriptional activation of the IL-2 and IL-2-receptor genes by
hybridization with the appropriate cDNA probes.

We shall test for the presence and association of the antigen receptor and
T3 molecules on the surfaces and cytoplasms of early and late thymocytes,
peripheral T cells and T cells from the synovial cavities of rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) patients as representatives of various stages of the T cell
ontogenetic development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3157439
- **Project number:** 5R01AR036010-03
- **Recipient organization:** SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** H59JKGFZKHL7
- **Principal Investigator:** CONSTANTINE D TSOUKAS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $114,542
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1987-01-20 → 1989-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3157439

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3157439, HUMAN T-CELL ACTIVATION IN AUTOIMMUNITY (5R01AR036010-03). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3157439. Licensed CC0.

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