Murine B lymphoma cell lines release functionally active interleukin 2 after stimulation with Staphylococcus aureus

In this study it is shown that an IL-2-like functional lymphokine activity derived from the murine B cell lines 2PK-3 and L10A2J after stimulation with Staphylococcus aureus can be blocked with anti-IL-2 mAb such as 9B11, DMS-1, and S4B6. Experiments demonstrate that the stimulation of the IL-2-sensitive cell line CTLL-2 by the IL-2-like functional activity derived from murine B cell tumors can also be blocked with the anti-IL-2R mAb PC61. Additionally, in RNA-RNA hybridization experiments with radiolabeled SP6-derived ssRNA probes developed from murine IL-2 genomic DNA sequences and specific for IL-2 mRNA, quantitatively significant amounts of IL-2-specific mRNA in both 2PK-3 and L10A2J are shown subsequent to stimulating the cells with S. aureus. These results suggest the murine B cell tumor lines 2PK-3 and L10A2J synthesize and release IL-2 after stimulation with selected polyclonal activators such as S. aureus.