Cytotoxic lymphocyte maturation factor and monoclonal antibody thereto

PURPOSE: To prepare the subject factor having a specified amino acid sequence, showing cytotoxic lymphocyte maturation factor activity, enhancing the cytolytic properties of lymphokine activation killer cells in the presence of interleukin-2 and useful as antitumor agents or the like. CONSTITUTION: Cells capable of producing cytotoxic lymphocyte maturation factors(CLMF) such as lymphoblastic cells are stimulated to produce a cytokine, which is secreted into a supernatant fluid, the supernatant fluid including the material produced by the stimulated cells is collected, the supernatant fluid is separated into protein fractions, each protein fraction is tested concerning the presence of CLMF by using a suitable assay, the protein fraction contg. CLMF is held, and then, CLMF is isolated from the CLMF-contg. protein fraction in a pure form to obtain the objective protein with an amino acid sequence expressed by the formula or the like having cytotoxyic lymphocyte maturation factor(CLMF) activity. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO