title: Enhancement of in vitro and in vivo antigen-specific antibody responses by interleukin 11.
abstract: The availability of large quantities of highly purified recombinant interleukin 11 (rhuIL-11) has allowed us to investigate the effects of rhuIL-11 on sheep red blood cell (SRBC)-specific antibody responses in the murine system. The results showed that rhuIL-11 was effective in enhancing the generation of mouse spleen SRBC-specific plaque-forming cells (PFC) in the in vitro cell culture system in a dose-dependent manner. These effects of rhuIL-11 were abrogated completely by the addition of anti-rhuIL-11 antibody, but not by the addition of preimmunized rabbit serum. Cell-depletion studies revealed that L3T4 (CD4)+ T cells, but not Lyt-2 (CD8)+ T cells, are required in the rhuIL-11-stimulated augmentation of SRBC-specific antibody responses. The effects of rhuIL-11 on the SRBC-specific antibody responses in vivo were also examined. RhuIL-11 administration to normal C3H/HeJ mice resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the number of spleen SRBC-specific PFC as well as serum SRBC-specific antibody titer in both the primary and secondary immune responses. In mice immunosuppressed by cyclophosphamide treatment, rhuIL-11 administration significantly augmented the number of spleen SRBC-specific PFC as well as serum SRBC-specific antibody titer when compared with the cyclophosphamide-treated mice without IL-11 treatment. These results demonstrated that IL-11 is a novel cytokine involved in modulating antigen-specific antibody responses in vitro as well as in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis 46202.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schendel
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017370:Interleukin-11; D007378:Interleukins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D017370:Interleukin-11; D007378:Interleukins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins