B cell stimulatory factor 1 (interleukin 4) is sufficient for the proliferation and differentiation of lectin-stimulated cytolytic T lymphocyte precursors.
In this report, we demonstrate that IL-4 is sufficient to stimulate both the proliferation and differentiation of Lyt-2+, Ia- splenic CTL precursors stimulated with the mitogenic lectin Con A. The response to IL-4 and Con A was not dependent on a putative endogenous production of IL-2 within the cultures, as demonstrated by an absence of an inhibitory effect by an anti-IL-2-R blocking mAb. Our results indicate that IL-2 and IL-4 can support an equivalent proliferative response by lectin-stimulated Lyt-2+ T lymphocytes, while IL-4 is more efficacious in stimulating their differentiation into mature cytolytically active cells.
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000502:physiology; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007378:Interleukins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology*
D007376:Interleukin-2; D007378:Interleukins; D003208:Concanavalin A; D015847:Interleukin-4