title: The serum factor from patients with ulcerative colitis that induces T cell proliferation in the mouse thymus is interleukin-7.
abstract: The disturbance of immune regulatory T cells is related to the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. Here we demonstrated and characterized the serum factor from ulcerative colitis patients that induced proliferation of intrathymic T cells. The factor isolated from the patient sera by a combination of gel filtration and anion-exchange chromatography induced proliferation of CD4+CD8- intrathymic T cells in the organ-cultured embryonic mouse thymus. Purification and amino acid sequence analysis of the serum factor demonstrated that the N-terminal 12 sequence was homologous to that of interleukin-7. SDS-PAGE and Western blot confirmed that purified serum factor was interleukin-7. Enzyme immunoassay demonstrated that the serum interleukin-7 concentration was significantly increased in the patients. PCR and Southern blot hybridization demonstrated that interleukin-7 mRNA expression was increased in the thymus tissues from patients but decreased in the colonic mucosa. Since interleukin-7 is a crucial cytokine for proliferation and differentiation of T cells in the thymus, the present study indicates that interleukin-7 may contribute to the disturbance of immune regulatory T cells in ulcerative colitis.
authors.affiliation: Keio Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwao
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aiso
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Habu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hibi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000097:blood* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015851:Interleukin-7; D012333:RNA, Messenger