Although the ability of Ts to prevent allograft rejection has been well established, their intrinsic characteristics and dependence upon lymphokines remain poorly defined. The cells from unmodified LEWxBN bulk 5-day rat MLR inhibit both proliferation in test MLR and generation of CTL, as well as prolonging the survival of donor-specific test cardiac allografts following adoptive transfer. We have examined the effects of a panel of mAb directed against functionally distinct epitopes on the p55 subunit of rat IL-2R on the generation and in vitro/in vivo activity of MLR-generated Ts. ART-18 (which blocks IL-2-dependent T cell growth) was the only mAb from the panel that profoundly suppressed alloreactive T cell proliferation in primary MLR (47.5%). However, the generation of Ts was never affected by any mAb (% suppression in test MLR = 40-60%). Neither ART-18 nor ART-65 (which does not affect T cell proliferation) interfered with the efficacy of Ts to inhibit CTL generation in fresh bulk MLR. Adoptive transfer of cells (3-10 x 10(6] from ART-18 or ART-65-modulated MLR into naive LEW rats prolonged (LEW x BN)F1 test cardiac allograft survival to 11-13 days (P less than 0.05 as compared with acutely rejecting hosts). All in vitro and in vivo effects exerted by MLR-generated cells were antigen-specific. In unmodified MLR, Ts were IL-2R+ (ca. 50% of total blasts), as shown by cell separation using magnetic beads. In contrast, in MLR with ART-18 added, Ts were primarily IL-2R- (ca. 10% of blasts). Thus, antirat p55 subunit IL-2R mAb do not inhibit MLR-generated Ts functionally operative in vitro and in vivo. IL-2R- Ts precursors requiring lymphokine(s) other than IL-2 may differentiate into IL-2-dependent Ts effectors. Such divergent IL-2 requirements for Ts growth in vitro may explain the Ts-sparing effects in allograft recipients treated with anti-IL-2R mAb.