title: Lymphokine regulation of inflammatory processes: interleukin-4 stimulates fibroblast proliferation.
abstract: While recent evidence from several laboratories has shown that interleukin-4 (IL-4) can act on a number of cells in addition to B lymphocytes, these have thus far been limited to cells of the hematopoietic lineage. Here we report that murine IL-4 promotes DNA synthesis in both primary and immortalized fibroblasts. Marked stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation was observed for primary skin fibroblasts or Balb/c3T3 cells stimulated with HPLC- or immunoaffinity-purified as well as recombinant IL-4. Responses to immunoaffinity and recombinant IL-4 were completely blocked with anti-IL-4 antibody. Similar dose/response relationships were observed for recombinant IL-4 on skin fibroblasts and an IL-4 responsive murine T cell tumor, suggesting that the receptors for this lymphokine on these cells is similar. Together, these results show that IL-4 can cause DNA synthesis by murine fibroblasts presumably through ligand-receptor interactions at the cell surface. Implications of these findings to inflammation during an immune response is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Monroe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haldar
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Prystowsky
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lammie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007378:Interleukins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D007378:Interleukins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015847:Interleukin-4; D004247:DNA