Gamma-interferon is one of several direct B cell-maturing lymphokines.
Two classes of molecules often released after the interaction of T lymphocytes, macrophages and antigen are B-cell maturation factors (BMF)1-3 and immune (gamma) interferon (IFN-gamma)4-7. BMFs directly induce the maturation of resting B lymphocytes to the state of active immunoglobulin secretion, while IFN-gamma is defined by the reduction of viral infectivity in vitro. However, interferons have been shown to have a variety of effects and they have also been reported both to increase and decrease B-cell differentiation in intact animals and complex cellular mixtures in vitro. Here we show that murine IFN-gamma produced by recombinant DNA technology shows similar biological effects to BMFs from two other sources. All three preparations induce immunoglobulin secretion by both normal resting murine splenic B cells and the comparable B-cell tumour line WEHI-279.1 (refs 1, 3). IFN-gamma and the other two BMFs are not identical, however, as anti-IFN-gamma antibodies block the effects on B cells of IFN-gamma, but not those of the other two lymphokines. IFN-gamma may be one of several molecules with a direct role in driving the maturation of resting B cells to active immunoglobulin secretion.
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology*; D008222:Lymphokines; D051379:Mice; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology
D000906:Antibodies; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D008222:Lymphokines; D007371:Interferon-gamma