title: Production of both interleukin-1 alpha and beta by newborn mouse calvarial cultures.
abstract: The conditioned medium (CM) from 4-6 day newborn mouse calvarial cultures was found to contain thymocyte comitogen proliferation activity. This activity was blocked by an antiserum to murine interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) but not by an antiserum to murine interleukin-1 beta. The release of thymocyte comitogen proliferation activity from the cultures did not appear dependent on endotoxin and was not associated with detectable interleukin-2 activity in the CM. Activity in the CM eluted from a gel filtration column with a peak Mr of 16-18 kD (the Mr of mature murine IL-1 alpha and beta is 17 kD). Western immunoblots of 100-fold concentrated CM demonstrated only a single 33 kD band with an antiserum to murine IL-1 beta and no bands with an antiserum to murine IL-1 alpha. However, this assay was relatively insensitive (limit of detection 1-10 ng compared with 1-10 pg for the thymocyte comitogen proliferation assay). Immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine-labeled CM with three different anti-IL-1 alpha antisera, a more sensitive assay, demonstrated 15-17 kD bands in all cases. These results demonstrate that 4-6 day newborn mouse calvarial cultures spontaneously release 17 kD IL-1 alpha and 33 kD IL-1 beta into their conditioned medium. It appears that although 17 kD IL-1 alpha is the major bioactive form in the CM, 33 kD IL-1 beta is present in greater amounts. These results also suggest that local production of IL-1 can regulate bone cell function and may play a role in bone growth and remodeling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Newington, CT 06111.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lorenzo
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Van den Brink-Webb
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Korn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism*; D001681:Biological Assay; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism*; D002455:Cell Division; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D006041:Goats; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011817:Rabbits; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1