Production of immune interferon by murine T-cell clones from long-term cultures.
Production of leukocyte interferon (IFN-alpha) and fibroblast interferon (IFN-beta) can be induced by a variety of agents but immune interferon, IFN-gamma, is only obtained when lymphoid cells are stimulated by specific antigens, allo-antigens or T-cell mitogens. Moreover, in bulk cultures, only small quantities of IFN-gamma are produced. The type of cell producing IFN-gamma has not been unambiguously defined and so we set out to determine whether a pure T-cell population could produce it, exploiting the knowledge that T cells can be maintained indefinitely in tissue culture by the addition of T-cell growth factors. Although not all T cells can found long-term cultures of this kind, cultures of antigen-specific helper, suppressor and killer T cells have been obtained in this way. We now describe the production of substantial amounts of INF-gamma when some (but not all) murine T-cell clones derived from such cultures are stimulated by either concanavalin A (Con A) or phytohaemagglutinin (PHA).
D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D007369:Interferon Inducers; D007372:Interferons / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051379:Mice; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D007369:Interferon Inducers; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D003208:Concanavalin A; D007372:Interferons