title: Interaction between oligodendroglia and immune cells: mitogenic effect of an oligodendrocyte precursor cell line on syngeneic T lymphocytes.
abstract: We analyzed cellular interactions between T lymphocytes and a recently established immortal glial line, L3 that retains several properties of immature oligodendrocytes (Aloisi et al., J Neurosci Res 27:16-24, 1990). L3 oligodendrocytes (L3-OL) cannot be induced to express class II antigens, nor do they specifically present antigen to syngeneic specific T lymphocyte. However, L3-OL strongly enhance the proliferation of freshly activated, interleukin-2(IL-2)-dependent T-line lymphocytes and concanavalin A (ConA)-activated lymphoblasts, irrespective of their antigen specificity or surface phenotype (CD4+ or CD8+). Resting and some activated T cells were susceptible to the mitogenic effect of L3-OL only in the presence of exogenous IL-2, not of other cytokines. The mitogenic effect of L3-OL did not depend on cell viability. It was observed in paraformaldehyde-fixed L3-OL cells and in membrane preparations, but not in culture supernatant. Neither intact L3-OL cells nor membrane preparations had direct IL-2 activity. The conclusion that the mitogenic effect of L3-OL cells is exerted by membrane structures acting as a costimulatory factor(s) of IL-2 is supported by the finding that it is largely blocked by a monoclonal anti-IL-2 receptor antibody. The effect is distinct from membrane-bound IL-1, membrane-bound tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-3, or IL-6 and cannot be reconstituted by these cytokines.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Unit for Multiple Sclerosis, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Würzburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamura
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aloisi
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Klinkert
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wekerle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D009185:Myelin Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012756:Sheep / Q000276:immunology; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D016207:Cytokines; D008934:Mitogens; D009185:Myelin Proteins