title: Mechanisms underlying the depressed production of interleukin-2 in spleen and lymph node cell cultures of mice infected with Mycobacterium bovis BCG.
abstract: Mice were infected intravenously with 1.0 mg of Mycobacterium bovis BCG. At various times thereafter, spleen and peripheral lymph node cells were stimulated with concanavalin A for 18 to 20 h, and their capacity to produce interleukin-2 (IL-2) was evaluated by means of a T-cell blast proliferation technique. A depression of IL-2 production that was complete in the spleen but partial in lymph node cell cultures occurred at 2 to 3 weeks and persisted till weeks 8 to 10 after infection. No direct evidence was found for an active suppressor mechanism depressing in vitro the production of IL-2. In spleen cell cultures the suppression of IL-2 production would result from a functional defect of the IL-2-producing T-cell subset, whereas in lymph node cell cultures the depression mainly results from a relative lack of IL-2-producing cells caused by an accumulation of immunoglobulin-positive and "null" cells. Spleen cells from BCG-infected mice maintained their capacity to acquire IL-2 receptors when activated by concanavalin A.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Turcotte
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Legault
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D003208:Concanavalin A