title: Requirement of 2-mercaptoethanol for in vitro growth factor production by T cells and vulnerability of the response to age.
abstract: The effects of 2-mercaptoethanol and age on spleen cells derived from young (3-4 months) and old (24-months) C57BL/6 mice were measured with respect to T cell growth factor or Interleukin 2 production. It was shown that: (A) 2-mercaptoethanol (or some homologue) is absolutely required for T cell growth factor production in vitro by murine cells (the optimum concentration is 5 X 10(-5) M for both young and old cells); (B) old cells are less responsive to suboptimum concentrations than young cells but their responses are not reduced to the same degree as young cells by supraoptimum toxic doses of 2-mercaptoethanol; and (C) at optimum 2-mercaptoethanol concentrations young and old cells have similar kinetic responses for T cell growth factor production and the accumulation of the T cell growth factor reaches a maximum between 18 and 24 hours. Considerations are presented of 2-mercaptoethanol (or some homologue) in its role as an important reactant in the production of T cell growth factor and in its susceptibility to aging.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008623:Mercaptoethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D008623:Mercaptoethanol