title: Production of interleukin-1 in a South American opossum (Monodelphis domestica).
abstract: A homologous thymocyte costimulatory assay using thymocytes from a South American opossum (Monodelphis domestica) detected and measured interleukin-1 (IL-1). Opossum IL-1 was obtained from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage and skin cultures and its molecular weight was determined to be 15,000 to 17,000. Opossum IL-1 did not stimulate proliferation of murine thymocytes; conversely, neither human nor murine IL-1 stimulated opossum thymocytes. Anti-human IL-1 antibodies were also not reactive with opossum IL-1. These observations indicate that there is no serological and functional crossreactivity between the opossum (marsupial mammals) and human and mouse (eutherian mammals) in an IL-1/thymocyte system. This is unusual because such crossreactivity occurs between rodents and distant, nonmammalian species. M. domestica has been used in our laboratory as a model for photobiological research; studies on IL-1 may provide insight into the relationship of immunosuppression and tumorigenesis induced by ultraviolet radiation.
authors.affiliation: Photomedicine Program, Lovelace Medical Foundation, Albuquerque, NM.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Brozek
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Ley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009893:Opossums / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D013045:Species Specificity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins