title: Alternative induction of alpha/beta interferons and gamma interferon by listeria monocytogenes in mouse spleen cell cultures.
abstract: Production of interferon (IFN) by Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in nonimmunized mouse spleen cell cultures was studied. IFN-gamma defined by virtue of its acid stability and antigenicity was produced in spleen cell cultures obtained from ddY mice, C57BL/6 mice, and BALB/c mice in response to heat-killed (HK) LM within 24 hr. On the other hand, production of IFN-alpha/beta was demonstrated in spleen cell cultures obtained from one of four nude mice (BALB/c, nu/nu). Therefore, it is important to know the reason why the spleen cells of mice other than nude mice did produce only IFN-gamma, but did not produce IFN-alpha/beta in response to HK-LM. Spleen cells obtained from ddY mice were fractionated, and the cellular source for IFN production of either IFN-alpha/beta or IFN-gamma induced by HK-LM was investigated. IFN-gamma was produced only by a mixture of T lymphocytes (nylon wool-nonadherent, Thy-1-positive cells) and macrophages by HK-LM. Neither T lymphocytes nor macrophages alone produced IFN by HK-LM. Macrophage-depleted spleen cells produced neither IFN-gamma nor IFN-alpha/beta, but these cells acquired the ability to produce IFN-alpha/beta, not IFN-gamma, only when they had been treated with IFN-alpha/beta. A possible mechanism of both IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha/beta induction by Listeria in mouse spleen cell cultures is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007369:Interferon Inducers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007372:Interferons / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008819:Mice, Nude; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D007369:Interferon Inducers; D007372:Interferons