title: Abnormal production of B cell growth factor in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: In order to clarify the role of B cell growth factor (BCGF) in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), BCGF production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and T cells was studied using a new bioassay for BCGF activity. For this purpose, we established an Epstein-Barr (EB) virus-transformed B cell line KS-3.F10 that proliferates only in response to two B cell-specific BCGF, low-mol. wt BCGF (LMW-BCGF) and high-mol. wt BCGF (HMW-BCGF). PBMC from active SLE patients produced less BCGF when stimulated with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) compared with controls. The decreased BCGF production by PHA-stimulated PBMC from active SLE reverted to control values when SLE became inactive. However, PHA-stimulated T cells from active SLE patients produced more BCGF compared with controls, whereas those from inactive SLE showed normal BCGF production. Spontaneous BCGF production by T cells was not observed in active SLE patients. These findings suggest that decreased BCGF production by SLE PBMC is due to excessive BCGF consumption by B cells in vitro and that SLE T cells produce large amounts of BCGF with appropriate immune stimuli in vivo to promote polyclonal B cell activation.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Goto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D001681:Biological Assay; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007378:Interleukins / Q000494:pharmacology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D007378:Interleukins; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D011239:Prednisolone