title: Functional IL-2 receptors are expressed by rat lung type II epithelial cells.
abstract: Interferon (IFN)-gamma-induced inhibition of type II epithelial cell thymidine incorporation (45% decrease vs. control) was restored by cocultures with mitogen-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and conditioned media (CM) from mitogen-activated PBMC. Successive exposure of type II cells to IFN-gamma and interleukin (IL)-2 produced similar alterations in thymidine incorporation. Given that IL-2 is a powerful pleiotropic cytokine produced by lymphoid and myeloid cells, the presence of IL-2 receptors (IL-2R) was assessed in primary cultures of rat type II pneumocytes (TIIP) and the nontransformed alveolar type II epithelial cell line L2. The presence of IL-2R membrane protein on rat type II cells was established by immunodetection assays. The expression of all three murine IL-2R alpha-, beta-, and gamma-chain RNA transcripts in primary TIIP cultures and L2 cells was highlighted by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Overall, these experiments demonstrate, for the first time, that type II epithelial cells can express functional IL-2R, confirming TIIP as a potential "partner" in the lung immune system. Consequently, it can be speculated that TIIP are new cellular targets for lymphokines using (IL-2R) gamma-chain-bearing receptors in lung distal air-spaces.
authors.affiliation: Département de Médecine, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lesur
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arsalane
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bérard
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mukuna
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: de Brum-Fernandes
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rola-Pleszczynski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017931:DNA Primers; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D004247:DNA; D013936:Thymidine