Stimulation of human lymphocytes by galactose-specific abrus and ricinus lectins.

Human lymphocyte cultures were incubated with the nontoxic abrus agglutinin and with ricin B chain, and the incorporation of 3H thymidine was measured. Abrus agglutinin stimulated strongly the thymidine incorporation whereas ricin B chain had a much lesser effect. When galactose or lactose was added to the cultures together with the lectins, the abrus agglutinin and ricin B chain induced thymidine incorporation was strongly reduced. There was a linear relationship between the concentration of lectin and the concentration of lactose required for inhibition of lymphocyte stimulation. N-acetyl-galactosamine had a much lesser inhibiting effect and alpha-methyl-mannoside did not cause any inhibition. The abrus agglutinin induced thymidine incorporation was not demonstrable before 36 to 40 hr and reached its maximum after 2 to 5 days. If lactose was added within the first 4 hr of incubation with abrus agglutinin no stimulation was observed.     

Lymphocyte calmodulin and its participation in the stimulation of T lymphocytes by mitogenic lectins.

Calmodulin was purified from human tonsillar lymphocytes utilizing calcium-dependent binding of calmodulin to fluphenazine-Sepharose. The molecular weight and phosphodiesterase activation of the lymphocyte calmodulin were very similar to those of purified bovine brain calmodulin. Trifluoperazine (TFP), a calmodulin inhibitor, suppressed lymphocyte stimulation as assessed by 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA of lectin-stimulated lymphocytes. TFP had no effect on the early 45Ca2+ uptake induced by mitogenic lectins, although this latter was inhibited by verapamil which also suppressed the 3H-thymidine incorporation. The results are in keeping with the interpretation that the inhibition of T cell stimulation by TFP was not due to suppression of Ca2+ uptake, but due to inactivation of Ca(2+)-calmodulin complex which might be formed subsequent to Ca2+ entry into the cell.     

Isolation,X-Ray Structure and Biological Activity of Deacetyl-dihydrobotrydial Produced by Botrytis squamosa

Mitogenic substances on human peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes were screened from culture filtrates of microorganisms newly isolated from soil and sea water by measuring [³H]- thymidine incorporation into the cells. Strong mitogenic activity was found in marine bacteria, particularly in marine vibrios. These mitogen samples exhibited neither hemagglutinating activity nor leukoagglutinating activity. They could scarcely stimulate murine lymphocytes.

Cell-cell interaction among leukocyte subsets in response to a bacterial mitogen was investigated using the most powerfully mitogenic sample (culture filtrate of strain H 52–2). A slight decrease in the mitogen response was observed on depletion of plastic surface adherent cells. Separation of T and non-T cells from each other by erythrocyte-rosette sedimentation resulted in a markedly diminished mitogen response. Considerable restoration of the mitogen response was obtained when T cells were mixed with mitomycin C-treated adherent cells or mitomycin C-treated non-T lymphocytes, or when non-T lymphocytes were mixed with mitomycin C-treated T cells.     

The phosphatidylinositol response and proliferation of oxidative enzyme-activated human T lymphocytes: suppression by plasma lipoproteins

The phosphatidylinositol (PI) response and DNA synthesis of neuraminidase and galactose oxidase (NAGO)-stimulated human T lymphocytes are suppressed by low density lipoproteins (LDL). To understand the mechanism of lymphocyte activation more fully, the PI response and DNA synthesis and suppression of these events by LDL in NAGO-stimulated T lymphocytes were characterized. Between 30 min and 6 hr after NAGO stimulation, there was an increase of 32Pi incorporation into PI without increased incorporation into the phosphorylated forms of PI or into other phospholipids. DNA synthesis as determined by [3H]thymidine incorporation depended on the lymphocyte-accessory monocyte ratio and total cell density. Optimal stimulation of the PI response and DNA synthesis occurred at the same concentration of neuraminidase and galactose oxidase. While the PI response was only partially suppressed by LDL with optimal suppression at 10 to 20 micrograms of protein/ml, DNA synthesis was completely suppressed although at much higher LDL concentrations, greater than 100 micrograms protein/ml. As monocyte numbers are increased, LDL suppression of DNA synthesis is decreased. The ability of NAGO to stimulate the PI response and DNA synthesis in a similar way, and the suppression of both events by LDL, suggests the PI response is important for lymphocyte activation and proliferation. Stimulation of human T lymphocytes by oxidative mitogens, neuraminidase, and galactose oxidase caused increased phosphatidylinositol metabolism and increased DNA synthesis. Both responses were suppressed by low density lipoproteins.     

Supernatant derived from a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (PLC/PRF/5) activates a population of T-suppressor cells

Harvest fluid derived from a primary hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (PLC/PRF/5) inhibited the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into PHA-activated human lymphocytes. A similar effect was observed when lymphocytes were pre-incubated with the tumour supernatant and washed prior to mitogen activation. Not only did the tumour supernatant inhibit 3H-thymidine incorporation by mitogen-activated lymphocytes, but it also inhibited production of the lymphokine leucocyte inhibitory factor (LIF). In experiments designed to establish whether a component of the tumour harvest fluid was activating a population of suppressor cells, normal mononuclear (MN) cells were treated with the PLC/PRF/5 or embryonic fibroblast supernatant for 48 h, after which they were washed and added to normal mitogen-activated lymphocyte cultures. Only cells pretreated with the PLC/PRF/5 supernatant suppressed mitogenesis. The cell responsible for the suppressor effect was a T cell, which after a further 24 h in culture liberated a suppressor factor responsible for inhibiting lymphocyte function. Although the nature of the factor/s in the PLC/PRF/5 supernatant responsible for activation of the T-suppressor cell population is unknown, it is suggested that this mechanism may be important in protecting the tumour from the immune response.     

Biological Activities of Guinea Pig Mitogenic Factor from Immune Lymphocytes Stimulated with Antigen

Mitogenic factor was produced by sensitized guinea pig lymph node cells stimulated with a specific antigen. Both T lymphocytes and macrophages were required for the production of this factor. The culture supernatant of lymphocytes containing the mitogenic factor exhibited a strong helping effect on the proliferative response of T lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Mitogenic factor and the factor with the helping activity coeluted in the molecular weight range of 25,000-35,000 daltons in gel filtration. Furthermore the fraction containing mitogenic factor was found to support the proliferation of lymphoblasts induced by PHA or antigen, suggesting that the mitogenic factor may be the guinea pig equivalent of T cell growth factor (TCGF) reported in the mouse, rat, and human. On the other hand, the T cell-activating monokine of the guinea pig, possessing the helping activity for the proliferative response of T lymphocytes to PHA, never exhibited TCGF-like activity.     

Activation of purified human thymus-derived (T) cells by mitogens. II. Monocyte- macrophage potentiation of mitogen-induced DNA synthesis.

Thymus-derived (T) cells from peripheral blood were purified by rosette formation with neuraminidase-treated sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and centifugation on Ficoll-Hypaque. T cells recovered from the pellet were freed of SRBC by treatment with Tris-NH4Cl. T cells purified by this method showed a diminished ability to take up 3H-thymidine (3H-TdR) after mitogen stimulation when compared to the mitogenic response of an equal number of autologous peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes (PBL). Autologous monocytes restored the capacity of purified T cells to take up 3H-TdR in the presence of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or Concanavalin A (Con A). The effect was proportional to the number of monocytes added. Similar restorative effects could be obtained with allogeneic or xenogeneic monocytes. These data suggest that the mitogenic stimulation of human PBL and Con A may reflect the participation of more than one cell type: the T cells and monocyte and that the genetic origin of the monocyte is not critical for augmentation of the mitogenic activation of human T cells.     

Interleukin 2 does not induce phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis in activated T cells

Hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate to diacylglycerol and myoinositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate is thought to be a primary event in the activation of cells by some growth factors, mitogenic lectins, and oncogenes. The mechanism whereby interleukin 2 (IL 2) binding to its receptor on activated T lymphocytes leads to cell proliferation has not been determined. Because the mitogenic has not been determined. Because the mitogenic action of IL 2 resembles that of some growth factors, the possible role of phosphatidylinositol breakdown in the activation of T cells by IL 2 was examined. In human or murine IL 2-sensitive cells, incubation with IL 2 did not alter the rate of turnover of phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol-5-phosphate, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate, or phosphatidylcholine in 32PO4-loaded cells. IL 2 also did not alter either the isotopic labeling of diacylglycerol or [3H]arachidonic acid release from cells. In addition, IL 2 did not alter the rate of formation of the phosphatidylinositol breakdown products myoinositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate, myoinositol-1,4-bisphosphate, or myoinositol-1-phosphate. In contrast, under similar conditions, IL 2 induced significant increases in [3H]thymidine incorporation and cell proliferation. Mitogenic lectins such as concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin gave significant changes in isotopic labeling of phosphoinositols, diacylglycerols, and phosphatidylinositols, indicating that phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis induced by mitogenic lectins was detectable in the assay systems. IL 2, in contrast to other growth factors, does not appear to signal cells by increasing phosphatidylinositol breakdown.     

In vitro induction of suppressor cells by plasma of rats with Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense infection

Mitogenic responses of B and T lymphocytes from spleens of rats infected with Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense were suppressed. Plasma from infected rats suppressed the mitogenic responses of B and T lymphocytes from spleens of normal uninfected rats. Removal of immune complexes from plasma of infected rats significantly reduced the suppressive effect of the plasma on splenic lymphocytes of normal uninfected rats. Normal thymus cells treated with plasma from infected rats and added to cultures of normal spleen lymphocytes inhibited the mitogenic responses of B and T lymphocytes. We suggest that the interaction of immune complexes and Fc or C3b receptors of T lymphocytes resulted in the in vitro induction or activation of T suppressor lymphocytes.     

Action of ketotifen on the mitogen-evoked proliferative response of human mononuclear cells

Ketotifen at low concentrations (5 and 50 microns) potentiated and at high ones (250 and 500 microM) blocked the proliferative response of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( NNC ) induced by PHA. The proliferative response was evaluated by 3H-thymidine incorporation into the cells. At doses inhibiting proliferative response to PHA ketotifen blocked both Con A-induced and Pokeweed mitogen-induced proliferations of MNC. At tested concentrations ketotifen inhibited and at the highest concentration (250 microM) blocked PHA-induced increase of protein synthesis in MNC evaluated by incorporation of 14C-L-leucine into the cells. The presented data showed that ketotifen acted not on the inductive step of the proliferative response but on the steps preceding the cell shift into S-phase.     

Phosphonoacetic acid: inhibition of transformation of human cord blood lymphocytes by Epstein-Barr virus.

Phosphonoacetic acid disodium salt (PAA) inhibited the transformation of human cord blood lymphocytes by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) at concentrations of 50-100 microgram/ml. At these concentrations, PAA had no effect on the multiplication of EBV transformed human lymphoblastoid cells or on the survival of human cord blood lymphocytes. The transformation of human cord blood lymphocytes by the B95-8 strain of EBV was measured by 3H-thymidine uptake, 5 days or more after infection. The degree of inhibition of transformation was correlated with the relation between the input of EBV and the concentration of PAA in the experiment. PAA inhibited the transformation even when added 24 h after EBV infection, but had no effect when added 48 h after EBV infection. The inhibitory effect of PAA could be overcome by its removal and normal 3H-thymidine uptake was restored even after 6 days of inhibition. The specificity of the inhibitory effect on EBV induced transformation of human cord blood lymphocytes is discussed.     

Spontaneous and mitogen-induced proliferative activity of mononucleocytes in pollinosis patients

The proliferative response of lymphocytes to mitogens was studied in 17 patients according to 3H-thymidine incorporation. The patients had high sensitivity to timothy pollen, confirmed by the allergological anamnesis, skin tests, and the presence of allergen-specific IgE-antibodies. Mononuclears of peripheral blood were cultivated with a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to study the response to the polyclonal B cell activator, while with PHA to study the response of T cells over 7 days. The patients with pollinosis manifested increased spontaneous cell proliferation. The degree of the proliferative response of the cells to LPS and PHA was similar in patients and normal subjects. It is suggested that the magnitude of spontaneous proliferation influences the degree of the mitogenic response of B cells.     

Growth-promoting actions of extracts from mouse submaxillary glands on human endothelial cells in culture.

Extracts of submaxillary glands from two different strains of inbred mice were mitogenic for human endothelial cells in culture. The mitogenic activity of extracts from glands of males of the SWR/J and C57BL/10J strains were equivalent, and the growth stimulating effect was unrelated to renin or esteroproteolytic activity. Mitogenic activity in extracts from SWR/J females was less than that from males, and extracts from C57BL/10J females were inactive. The polypeptide growth factors, epidermal (EGF) and fibroblast (FGF) growth factors, also stimulated replication of endothelial cells. Cells from either umbilical arteries or veins responded to submaxillary extracts, EGF, or FGF with a similar increase in cell number, increase in protein and enhanced uptake of 3H-thymidine. The proliferative response was associated with decreased activity of angiotensin I converting enzyme which is localized on the endothelial surface. Nerve growth factor (NGF) was not mitogenic for endothelial cells. Extracts of submaxillary glands from male mice of either strain contained approximately 20 times more EGF than extracts from females, as determined by immunodiffusion. Mitogenic activity of the extracts was completely inhibited by antiserum to EGF, suggesting that the active component of these preparations is EGF.     

Accessory cells induce a polyphosphatidylinositol response when cultured with mitogen-activated T lymphocytes

Monocytes (MO) influenced phosphoinositide metabolism when human T lymphocytes, isolated from peripheral blood, were activated by polyclonal mitogens. In the 3 hr immediately following mitogenic challenge, the synthesis of phosphatidylinositol (PI) was augmented and the synthesis of PI-4-phosphate (PIP) and PI-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) was induced in cultures of T lymphocytes and MO. In addition, MO induced a rapid and transient degradation of PIP and PIP2 in T cells prelabeled with [32P]PL and subsequently activated by mitogen. Induction of a PIP/PIP2 response correlated well with induction of DNA replication by MO when T cells were activated by phytohemagglutinin or by neuraminidase plus galactose oxidase. MO did not influence polyphosphoinositide metabolism when T cells were stimulated by the nonmitogenic lectin wheat germ agglutinin. Interleukin 1 could not substitute for monocytes in inducing a polyphosphoinositide response. By causing a rapid and transient release of the second messengers diacylglycerol and inositol phosphates and by subsequently increasing their cellular precursors, MO may induce the interleukin 2 responsive state in T lymphocytes.     

Inhibition of T lymphocyte activation by cyclosporin A: interference with the early activation of plasma membrane phospholipid metabolism

Rabbit lymph node and thymus lymphocytes were stimulated with concanavalin A (Con A). Cyclosporin A (CSA) inhibited in a dose-dependent way the induction of RNA and DNA synthesis; nearly complete inhibition was observed at a concentration of 200 ng/ml. Results of kinetic studies suggested that the immunosuppressive drug interfered with an early event occurring in activated lymphocytes. Among the earliest changes detectable in activated lymphocytes, the turnover of plasma membrane phospholipids is increased, predominantly of their fatty acid moieties, catalyzed by the membrane-bound lysophosphatide acyltransferase. CSA, at concentrations identical with those inhibiting macromolecular synthesis, also inhibited the Con A-stimulated specific increase in the incorporation of labeled fatty acids into plasma membrane phospholipids. When lymphocytes were stimulated with Con A for 1 hr, incorporation of labeled oleic acid and arachidonic acid approximately doubled in plasma membrane phospholipids. CSA at a concentration of 200 ng/ml prevented the elevated incorporation of labeled fatty acids into plasma membrane phospholipids of Con A-stimulated thymocytes. Concomitantly, the activation of lysolecithin acyltransferase, the key enzyme for the incorporation of long-chain fatty acids into phospholipids, was strongly inhibited. Up to high concentrations, CSA had no effect on the phospholipid metabolism of unstimulated lymphocytes. The results suggest that CSA inhibits the activation of T lymphocytes by interfering with the early activation of plasma membrane phospholipid metabolism.     

Inhibition of mitogenic stimulation of human lymphocytes by protease released membrane glycopeptides

Mitogenic stimulation of human lymphocytes was induced by different means including non-lectin mitogens. Independent of the mean of stimulation the proliferation of lymphocytes was significantly inhibited by protease released lymphocyte surface glycopeptides (LySP). These surface peptides may have regulatory functions in cell proliferation and in the onset of the immune response in vivo. They offer a new tool for the elucidation of the triggering mechanism in mitogenic stimulation.     

Adrenocorticotropic hormone controls Concanavalin A activation of rat lymphocytes by modulating IL-2 production

The initiation of DNA synthesis and secretion of Interleukin 2 (IL-2) was measured in isolated rat splenic lymphocytes following activation with Concanavalin A (ConA). The extent of 3H-thymidine incorporation into activated cells was tested when cultured with various concentrations of Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). A paradoxical dose-response curve resulted when ACTH caused a biphasic response of augmenting and inhibiting 3H-thymidine uptake in lymphocytes depending on the hormone concentration. Low levels of ACTH (0.001-1-nM) augmented 3H-thymidine uptake and high levels (10-1000 nM) reversed the effect. The optimal ACTH concentration was 10 pM ACTH in the presence of 5 ug/ml ConA and there was no ACTH effect on quiescent cells (no ConA). Conditioned media from splenic lymphocytes treated with various concentrations of ConA or ACTH was tested for increased uptake of 3H-thymidine by the IL-2 growth dependent Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Leukemia (CTLL-2) cells. ConA conditioned medium could sustain the CTLL-2 cells indicating the presence of IL-2. Conditioned medium from splenic lymphocytes treated with both ConA and 100 pM ACTH further increased CTLL-2 cell proliferation indicating an additional increase of IL-2 secretion. The identity of IL-2 was confirmed by using an anti-rat IL-2 antibody to neutralize the growth potential of the conditioned medium. ACTH alone had no effect on the CTLL-2 cell proliferation indicating the effect is due solely to induced IL-2 found in the conditioned medium. IL-2 levels in the conditioned media were quantitated by ELISA assay; splenic lymphocytes produced 4.2 ng/ml to ConA only, 19.2 ng/ml in ConA plus 10 nM ACTH, and no detectable IL-2 at ConA plus 10 uM ACTH. These results demonstrated that ACTH modulates IL-2 secretion from activated lymphocytes, which is both biphasic and concentration dependent.     

Subpopulations of lymphocytes to produce various lymphokines. I. Function of subpopulations separated by velocity sedimentation.

Identification of a subpopulation of lymphocytes producing lymphokines was attempted by fractionating the lymph node cells from guinea pigs immune to DNP-BSA by velocity sedimentation at 1 x G. Each of six fractions obtained by this procedure was cultured with or without the presence of antigen, and the culture supernatants that were separated 24 hr later were assayed for various lymphokine activities. Most of the lymphokines, including migration inhibition factor, chemotactic factor for neutrophils, mitogenic factor, and lymphotoxin were generated by the first two fractions of lymphocytes, which represented the largest, most rapidly sedimenting cells. Although th procedure of cell separation does not depend on cell surface properties, the larger cells contained more cells with T cell surface markers and the smalller contained more cells with B cell surface markers. Proliferative response of those lymphocytes measured by 3H-thymidine uptake, however, has shown that the largest two subpopulations responded poorly either to specific antigens or to mitogens (PHA and LPS), and rather that the medium size cells responded most strongly to the both stimulants. These results indicated that the production of some lymphokines confined to certain subpopulations of lymphocytes which are large in size. Further, these cells are readily separable from the medium sized cells that respond strongly to antigenic and mitogenic stimuli with mitogenic responses.     

Mitogenic action of bacterial T-independent antigens under various conditions of lymphocyte culture

The mitogenic response of lymphocytes in mouse spleen cell culture to the action of Salmonella typhi lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Vi-antigen under different experimental conditions has been studied. The density of the culture has been shown to influence the activation of lymphocytes with Vi-antigen. Thus, macrophages stimulate mitogenesis at the concentration of lymphocytes equal to 1.0-1.2 X 10(6) cells/ml and suppress it when this concentration increases tenfold. The method used for the purification of cell suspension from adhering cells has been shown to influence the level of the mitogenic response of lymphocytes. The cultures, purified from macrophages by filtration through a column packed with cotton wool, have been found to respond to the mitogenic doses of LPS 7-8 times weaker than those purified by adhesion onto plastic. Background and mitogen-induced inclusion of 3H-thymidine into lymphocytic DNA varies in accordance with the presence of adhering cells. For this reason, in the evaluation of the influence of macrophages on mitogenesis it is expedient to consider not only the stimulation index, but also the absolute inclusion of thymidine into cells.