title: The stimulation of EL-4 cells to produce interleukin-2 and its potential use in immunocytotoxicity testing.
abstract: The ability of EL-4 thymoma cells to produce interleukin-2 (IL-2) following exposure to phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and Concanavalin A (Con A) has been studied in vitro using medium containing either 10% or 1% fetal calf serum (FCS). The potent stimulatory effect of PMA on IL-2 production by EL-4 cells has been confirmed by measuring 3H-thymidine incorporation by the IL-2-dependent T cell line, CTLL-2, in the presence of conditioned medium (CM) from stimulated cultures. EL-4 cells produced several times more IL-2 when cultured in medium containing 10% FCS than when only 1% FCS was present. Added together, PMA and Con A acted synergistically in some EL-4 cell cultures. The ability of E:-4 cells to produce IL-2 was maintained after further incubation without stimulants. CM with IL-2 activity from stimulated EL-4 cells could prove useful in immunotoxicity testing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Morphology, University of Nottingham Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, UK.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lasek
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Clothier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balls
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000276:immunology; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051379:Mice; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism; D013945:Thymoma / Q000276:immunology; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D014316:Tritium; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D014316:Tritium; D003208:Concanavalin A; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; D013936:Thymidine