Establishment and characterization of a human B cell line from the lung tissue of a patient with scleroderma; extraordinary high level of IL-6 secretion by stimulated fibroblasts.
Progressive systemic sclerosis is a connective tissue disease of unknown aetiology. This is the first study to demonstrate induction by a human B cell line of IL-6 secretion from fibroblasts. The cell line was established from lesional lung tissue of a patient with progressive systemic sclerosis. These cells, referred to as kon-1 cells, showed characteristics of pro-B cell by flow cytometry. Although kon-1 cells alone secreted a small amount of IL-6, a co-culture of kon-1 cells with normal lung fibroblasts significantly increased IL-6 levels. Whereas IL-6 mRNA was weakly expressed in kon-1 cells alone, it was clearly expressed in cells from the co-culture. Immunocytochemical identification of IL-6 showed localization in the cytoplasm of fibroblasts. IL-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine, essential for B cell differentiation, which has been shown to stimulate the production of collagen and glycosaminoglycan. Thus, abnormally augmented B cell proliferation and the inflammatory response stimulated by these cells may cause the fibrotic changes in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis.
Second Department of Surgery, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan.
K
K
Kondo
T
T
Okada
T
T
Matsui
S
S
Kato
K
K
Date
M
M
Yoshihara
Y
Y
Nagata
H
H
Takagi
M
M
Yoneda
I
I
Sugie
D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002460:Cell Line; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
D015850:Interleukin-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger