title: Expression of interleukin 2, interferon-gamma, and the IL 2 receptor by human peripheral blood lymphocytes.
abstract: Human peripheral blood T lymphocytes were treated with recombinant interleukin 2, mitogens, and dexamethasone. The resulting accumulation of mRNA for interleukin 2 (IL 2), the interleukin 2 receptor (IL 2R), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) was measured. IL 2 was found to regulate the levels of each of these mRNA. The expression of mRNA for IL 2, IL 2R, and IFN-gamma correlated very well with the levels of protein observed. In populations of peripheral blood T lymphocytes, the production of IL 2 and IFN-gamma were not necessarily coordinately expressed. The sequential expression of these mRNA was investigated in order to determine whether they might be independent of the action of IL 2. IFN-gamma and IL 2 mRNA showed biphasic accumulations. IL 2 mRNA accumulated very rapidly, within 60 min after mitogen stimulation and before any detectable IL 2R mRNA accumulation. Similarly, IFN-gamma mRNA accumulated rapidly, simultaneously with IL 2 mRNA. This early peak of IFN-gamma mRNA, therefore, is likely to be independent of IL 2 action. Both IL 2 and IFN-gamma mRNA then showed later peak times of accumulation. IL 2 mRNA levels peaked at 5 hr after mitogen stimulation, whereas IFN-gamma mRNA levels peaked at 20 hr. IL 2R mRNA continued to accumulate for the full 40 hr of these kinetic experiments. The later accumulations of IFN-gamma and IL 2R mRNA and the resulting expression of the corresponding proteins may therefore be dependent on the earlier production of IL 2 and its subsequent interaction with the IL 2R on the surface of such activated T cells.
mesh_terms: D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000032:analysis* / Q000187:drug effects; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000187:drug effects; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D007376:Interleukin-2; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D003907:Dexamethasone; D007371:Interferon-gamma