Donor CD4+ and CD8+ T cells mediate graft-vs.-leukemia (GVL) responses in the allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (alloBMT) setting. To evaluate the role of functional T cell subsets in the mediation of GVL, alloreactive donor CD4+ (Th1/Th2) and CD8+ (Tc1/Tc2) T cells of defined cytokine phenotype were generated by in vitro culture. A leukemia/transplantation model (B6 into B6C3F1; 1050 cGy host irradiation) was established using the bcr/abl-transfected myeloid leukemia line, 32Dp210 (P210; H-2k). Leukemia control mice (1X10(4) P210 cells per recipient) died at day 12.0 post-BMT. Recipients of the CD4+, Th1-type or CD8+, Tc1-type populations were conferred a survival advantage (death at 20.7 and 23.5 days post-BMT, respectively). In contrast, the CD4+, Th2-type population did not mediate GVL (death at 12.3 days). Furthermore, cell mixing experiments demonstrated that the Th2 subset abrogated both Th1- and Tc1-mediated GVL. The CD8+, Tc2 population, which secreted type II cytokines and lysed the P210 leukemia target in vitro, mediated GVL in some experiments; interestingly, the magnitude of Tc2-mediated GVL was inversely related to the level of interleukin-10 (IL-10) secreted in vitro by the Tc2 population. These studies therefore indicate that alloreactive T cells of type I phenotype maximally generate GVL, and that type I/type II interactions are an important consideration for allogeneic transplantation in the setting of leukemic hosts.