title: Effect of interferon-alpha on immunoglobulin synthesis by human B cells.
abstract: We have investigated the effect of human recombinant interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) on mitogen-induced immunoglobulin (Ig) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal individuals. Low concentrations (1 to 100 IU/ml) of IFN-alpha enhanced pokeweed mitogen-stimulated Ig production. In contrast, high concentrations of IFN-alpha (10(5) IU/ml) suppressed pokeweed mitogen-induced Ig production. Irradiation of T cells did not ablate the high dose suppression, indicating that suppression was not due to a radiation-sensitive T cell. Kinetic experiments revealed that IFN-alpha needed to be added to 10 day cultures within the first 72 hr for either enhancement or suppression to be noted. Preincubation of purified B cells with IFN-alpha suppressed Ig production as completely as when unfractionated mononuclear cells were incubated with IFN-alpha. On the other hand, preincubation of T cells or monocytes with IFN-alpha had no effect on subsequent Ig production in reconstituted mononuclear cell cultures. Mitogen-induced proliferation of purified B cells was not affected by IFN-alpha at any concentration, but Ig production by purified B cells stimulated with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I or anti-mu and B cell differentiation factors responded to IFN-alpha with low concentration enhancement and high concentration suppression. Studies of Ebstein-Barr virus-transformed B cell lines showed that IFN-alpha caused a similar effect on the CESS line as on peripheral blood B cells, with low dose enhancement and high dose suppression of Ig production. Thus one IFN-alpha effect is to modulate Ig production, and this appears to be a direct effect on B cells. Combined with the data in the accompanying paper, the effects of IFN-alpha on B cell function are similar in vivo and in vitro.
mesh_terms: D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000096:biosynthesis; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens