title: Interleukin 12 and tumor necrosis factor alpha are costimulators of interferon gamma production by natural killer cells in severe combined immunodeficiency mice with listeriosis, and interleukin 10 is a physiologic antagonist.
abstract: Listeriosis in mice with the severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mutation is an established model in vivo and in vitro of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma)-dependent macrophage activation by natural killer (NK) cells during the development of natural immunity. We demonstrate that IFN-gamma production from SCID splenocytes is stimulated by interleukin (IL) 12, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and IL-2 but is inhibited by IL-10, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF are induced by heat-killed Listeria monocytogenes (hk-LM) from SCID splenocytes and peritoneal macrophages. IL-12 production is necessary for hk-LM to stimulate IFN-gamma production by SCID splenocytes since neutralization of IL-12 totally blocks IFN-gamma production in this system. TNF-alpha and IL-2 act synergistically with IL-12 to augment IFN-gamma production. Also, exogenous IL-2 increases the response of NK cells to hk-LM or to IL-12 and TNF-alpha. In contrast, IL-10 inhibits hk-LM-induced IFN-gamma production at two levels: (i) by inhibiting TNF and IL-12 production from these cultures (presumably from the macrophage) and (ii) by inhibiting the stimulatory effects of IL-12 and TNF-alpha on NK-cell IFN-gamma production. Thus, these data indicate that macrophage production of TNF-alpha and IL-12 stimulates the release of IFN-gamma by NK cells and that IL-10 produced in response to hk-LM inhibits this response at the level of the macrophage and the NK cell.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Tripp
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Unanue
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018664:Interleukin-12; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D007378:Interleukins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000276:immunology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006133:Growth Substances; D007376:Interleukin-2; D007378:Interleukins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D018664:Interleukin-12; D007371:Interferon-gamma