Human peripheral blood T lymphocytes were treated with recombinant interleukin 2, mitogens, and dexamethasone. The resulting accumulation of mRNA for interleukin 2 (IL 2), the interleukin 2 receptor (IL 2R), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) was measured. IL 2 was found to regulate the levels of each of these mRNA. The expression of mRNA for IL 2, IL 2R, and IFN-gamma correlated very well with the levels of protein observed. In populations of peripheral blood T lymphocytes, the production of IL 2 and IFN-gamma were not necessarily coordinately expressed. The sequential expression of these mRNA was investigated in order to determine whether they might be independent of the action of IL 2. IFN-gamma and IL 2 mRNA showed biphasic accumulations. IL 2 mRNA accumulated very rapidly, within 60 min after mitogen stimulation and before any detectable IL 2R mRNA accumulation. Similarly, IFN-gamma mRNA accumulated rapidly, simultaneously with IL 2 mRNA. This early peak of IFN-gamma mRNA, therefore, is likely to be independent of IL 2 action. Both IL 2 and IFN-gamma mRNA then showed later peak times of accumulation. IL 2 mRNA levels peaked at 5 hr after mitogen stimulation, whereas IFN-gamma mRNA levels peaked at 20 hr. IL 2R mRNA continued to accumulate for the full 40 hr of these kinetic experiments. The later accumulations of IFN-gamma and IL 2R mRNA and the resulting expression of the corresponding proteins may therefore be dependent on the earlier production of IL 2 and its subsequent interaction with the IL 2R on the surface of such activated T cells.
The in vitro T cell-dependent antibody response of human lymphocytes to influenza virus X31 was used to study the role of T cell-derived lymphokines in antigen-specific responses. Supernatant from cultures of phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated, pooled human tonsil cells (PHA-MLR) was capable of replacing T cells and inducing T-depleted tonsil cells to secrete influenza-specific antibody. The T cell-replacing activity of PHA-MLR supernatant co-purified with interleukin 2 (IL 2) on Ultrogel AcA54 gel filtration and reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography. PHA-MLR supernatant and IL 2 also enhanced B cell proliferation induced by anti-mu or Staphylococcal aureus strain Cowan I (SAC). A murine monoclonal antibody directed against the human IL 2 receptor (Mab 2A3) was used to completely block the enhancement of influenza-specific antibody production mediated by PHA-MLR supernatant, purified IL 2, and recombinant human IL 2. Mab 2A3 did not affect the T-independent B cell proliferation induced by anti-mu or SAC, but abrogated the enhancing effect of the PHA-MLR supernatant and IL 2 in this culture system. Immunofluorescence studies failed to demonstrate binding of Mab 2A3 to B cells activated by the X31 influenza virus and IL 2, or by SAC. By using Mab 2A3 to mask out IL 2 effects in the influenza-specific culture system, no other B cell differentiating activities were revealed in supernatants from lymphocytic cultures stimulated with a variety of mitogens. Thus, our results indicate that the production of influenza-specific antibodies by T-depleted human lymphocyte cultures is absolutely dependent on the presence of both antigen and IL 2.
Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease with an immunologic spectrum in which lepromatous leprosy patients have defective cell-mediated immune responses, in comparison to tuberculoid leprosy patients. Immunoregulatory aspects of this spectrum were investigated by using monoclonal antibodies to interleukin 2 (IL 2), IL 2 receptors (Tac), and T lymphocyte subpopulations with immunoperoxidase techniques on frozen sections of skin biopsy specimens from 10 tuberculoid and 10 lepromatous patients. A comparison of IL 2+ cells revealed markedly fewer IL 2+ cells in lepromatous specimens (lep. 0.028% +/- 0.02 vs tub. 0.46% +/- 0.28, p less than 0.001). These IL 2+ cells were large, exhibited cytoplasmic staining, and on double immunostaining were Leu-4+, Leu-3a+, Leu-2a-, Tac-, and OKT6-, consistent with the fact they are IL 2 producers. Equivalent numbers of Tac+ cells were observed in both lepromatous and tuberculoid granulomas (lep. 1.5% +/- 0.5 vs tub. 2.1% +/- 0.7, p, NS), suggesting that the responder cells are present in both conditions. The tuberculoid granuloma was highly organized, composed of a central core of mature macrophages, Leu-3a+ and Tac+ cells with a surrounding mantle of Leu-2a+, Leu-3a+, IL 2+, Tac+, and OKT6+ cells. In lepromatous granulomas, Leu-2a+, Leu-3a+, Tac+, and rare IL 2+ cells were randomly admixed with bacilli-laden macrophages. The defective cell-mediated immune responses in lepromatous leprosy appears to be associated with diminished IL 2 production and disorganization of the granuloma.
A recombinant human TNF receptor Fc fusion protein (rhuTNFR:Fc) was assessed for antiarthritic activity using murine type II collagen-induced arthritis in mice. DBA/1 mice were immunized with bovine type II collagen and treated with rhuTNFR:Fc either from day 21 to day 28 (preventative protocol), or after disease onset for fourteen days (therapeutic protocol). Control mice received either sterile saline or human serum albumin injections. rhuT-NFR:Fc treatment significantly reduced both the incidence and the severity of collagen-induced arthritis in the preventative protocol. Mice receiving rhuTNFR:Fc therapeutically progressed to less severe disease than did control animals, and the arthritis index in rhuTNFR:Fc treated mice was significantly lower than the index in control mice from 7.5 weeks after treatment. The antibody response to collagen was significantly reduced by treatment with rhuTNFR:Fc in both the preventative and therapeutic protocols. No difference was observed in the proliferative response to type II collagen or Con A, but the response to LPS was significantly lower in rhuTNFR:Fc treated mice at the conclusion of both the preventative and therapeutic trials. The results suggest that rhuTNFR:Fc may have both immunosuppressive and antiarthritic properties in this experimental model, and may represent a useful approach to the treatment of autoimmune arthritis.
Forty patients with hematologic malignancy or aplastic anemia were given allogeneic marrow after conditioning with high-dose cyclophosphamide alone or in combination with total body irradiation. Between 28 and 3857 days after transplantation, their peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes were tested for reactivity in indirect cell-mediated lympholysis against normal leukocytes from unrelated individuals, and the results were compared to those with cells from their healthy marrow donors. An impairment of cell-mediated lympholysis was found with cells from most patients with acute and chronic graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) whereas cells from most short-term and long-term patients without GVHD had cell-mediated lympholysis reactivity comparable to that of cells from the marrow donors. When interleukin 2 was added to the mixed leukocyte cultures during the sensitization phase, the impaired cell-mediated immunity of cells from most short-term patients with acute GVHD, but not that of cells from most patients with chronic GHVD, could be restored to normal levels. These results suggest the impairment of cell-mediated immunity seen in cells of short-term patients with acute GVHD is attributable to helper cell defects or to ineffective communication between antigen-presenting cells and helper T cells. The impairment in cell-mediated immunity seen in patients with chronic GVHD, however, may reside on the effector cells (or their precursors) or may be due to the presence of suppressor cell activity.
The detection and localization of interleukin (IL) 1 in human monocytes was carried out by flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies to IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta proteins. IL-1 alpha was detected on the surface of monocytes and the surface expression increased following lipopolysaccharide activation. No demonstrable IL-1 beta protein could be observed on the cell surface by antibody staining, while both IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta could be visualized intracellularly by the appropriate monoclonal antibodies following acetone permeabilization of the monocytes. Further experiments with cell associated IL-1 revealed that most of the biological activity of human monocytes could be inhibited by affinity purified polyclonal antibodies to IL-1 alpha protein, whereas no inhibitory activity was observed with IL-1 beta specific antibodies. These data support the hypothesis that a differential localization of IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta exists within human blood-derived monocytes.
