Interleukin-4 enhances the in vitro precursor cell recruitment for tumor-specific T lymphocytes in patients with glioblastoma.
Previously the authors showed that interleukin-4 (IL-4), used in combination with IL-2, increases the reduced proliferation rate of T cells of glioblastoma-bearing patients after in vitro autologous immunization. In this report, they sought to determine whether this effect is caused by a direct mitogenic effect of IL-4, or rather by an indirect effect through an increased expression of the IL-2 receptor subunits or an enhanced recruitment of responsive cells. Flow cytometric analysis confirmed that the IL-2 receptor subunits are less expressed on circulating T cells from patients with glioblastoma than on those from healthy donors. Because no significant modification of the expression of the p55 and p75 subunits of the IL-2 receptor is observed in cultures treated with both IL-2 and IL-4, the reported enhanced proliferation rate cannot be attributed to an increased level of IL-2 receptor expression. Limiting dilution assays, using autologous target cell immunization, show that treatment with both cytokines (IL-2 plus IL-4) significantly increases the number of recruitable precursor cells without affecting their proliferation rate. These results indicate that IL-4 facilitates an immune response against the autologous tumor cells in glioblastoma-bearing patients by increasing the recruitable precursor T-cell frequency.
Faber
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C
Neuroimmunologic & Inflammation, Centre de Recherche Public-Sanité, Luxembourg, Belgium.
Terao
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E
Morga
E
E
Heuschling
P
P
D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D007376:Interleukin-2; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4