title: CD4+ T cell activation in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by CD4-enriched T cells from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and normal individuals stimulated with concanavalin A (conA) and/or autologous and allogeneic B lymphoid cell lines (B-LCL) was evaluated 24, 48 and 96 h after stimulation. ConA-stimulated CD4+ cells from MS patients did not produce significantly more IL-2 than normal CD4+ cells. In contrast, autologous B-LCL-induced IL-2 production by MS CD4+ cells significantly (P = 0.026) exceeded that produced by normal CD4+ cells identically stimulated after 24 h in culture. Differences in IL-2 production by CD4+ cells from MS patients reached highest significance using allogeneic B-LCL, whose stimulatory capacity was similar, whether established from normal individuals or MS patients. This increased IL-2 production in response to B-LCL may represent a supranormal response of CD4+ cells from MS patients to class II major histocompatibility (MHC)-associated stimuli. It suggests that the deficiency of suppressor T cell functions postulated to play a role in MS does not arise from a lack of IL-2 induction and might indicate that bursts of IL-2 production could play a role in MS.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D003208:Concanavalin A