title: Interleukin-4 activates ion channels in B lymphocytes.
abstract: The lymphokine interleukin-4 (IL-4) has been shown to induce dramatic changes in the physiology of resting B cells. We have applied the patch clamp technique in the cell attached and inside/out configurations to resting and IL-4-treated B cells to determine whether specific ion conductances result as a consequence of IL-4 action. We report here that two distinct ion channel events occur in B lymphocytes after treatment with IL-4, (i) induction of an inward rectifying K+ channel that is not observed in untreated cells, and (ii) activation of a large conductance anion channel that is normally silent in non-treated cells in the cell attached patch configuration. These data present the first evidence of a direct effect by IL-4 on ion channels and we suggest roles for these two ionic conductances in IL-4-induced B cell activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03756.
authors.forename: F V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Noelle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000838:Anions / Q000378:metabolism; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D002412:Cations / Q000378:metabolism; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000502:physiology*; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000838:Anions; D002412:Cations; D007473:Ion Channels; D015221:Potassium Channels; D015847:Interleukin-4