Augmented production of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and alpha/beta interferon in mice inoculated with heat-killed Corynebacterium liquefaciens.
We demonstrated that heat-killed Corynebacterium liquefaciens bacteria, as a known potent host immune activity modulator, stimulate spleen cells to produce granulocyte-macrophage (GM) colony-stimulating factor (CSF) and another CSF with similar activity, as well as alpha/beta interferon, when injected intravenously into mice. Alpha/beta interferon was shown to be produced by C. liquefaciens-activated plastic-G-10 column-adherent cells (A cells) in a thymus-independent manner. In contrast, augmented production of GM-CSF required the action of C. liquefaciens-activated T lymphocytes that collaborated with normal A cells. Non-T spleen cells from C. liquefaciens-stimulated athymic mice, however, produced an alternative CSF that partially replaced GM-CSF. Correspondingly, the numbers of GM-producing CFU developing in cultures of spleen cells from C. liquefaciens-treated euthymic or athymic mice were 10 to 30 times higher than those in cultures of spleen cells from untreated mice. These results suggest that gram-positive rods such as C. liquefaciens activate T and A cells for production of multiple cytokines and that potential cooperative actions of these cytokines underlie the known immunomodulatory action of coryneforms.
Yoshida
T
T
Department of Immunology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Hotta
T
T
Shimokata
K
K
Ichihara
M
M
Isobe
K
K
Nakashima
I
I
D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000276:immunology*; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D007370:Interferon Type I; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor