title: Recombinant interleukin 2 and gamma-interferon act synergistically on distinct steps of in vitro terminal human B cell maturation.
abstract: The effects of recombinant interleukin 2 (IL-2) on the in vitro differentiation of human tonsillar B cells which were not preincubated with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I or with anti-human IgM were investigated. IL-2 was shown to induce the generation of Ig-containing cells in a dose-dependent fashion from 2.5 to 2,500 U IL-2/ml. Conversely, the quantities of Ig secreted in the culture supernatant were found in the majority of experiments to peak at 25 U/ml. The possible presence, in cultures stimulated with IL-2, of cells that were capable of synthesizing Ig but that did not secrete the Ig they have produced was investigated. Among a number of factors tested, we found that gamma-interferon, which did not trigger in vitro B cell differentiation when used alone, can induce an increased secretion of Ig without noticeable change in the number of Ig-containing cells in cultures stimulated with IL-2. The possibility that gamma-interferon and IL-2 act on subsequent steps of in vitro B cell differentiation is discussed.
authors.lastname: Lê thi Bich-Thuy
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Fauci
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000378:metabolism; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000378:metabolism; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000378:metabolism; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D013936:Thymidine