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.
Kondo
K
K
Second Department of Surgery, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan.
Okada
T
T
Matsui
T
T
Kato
S
S
Date
K
K
Yoshihara
M
M
Nagata
Y
Y
Takagi
H
H
Yoneda
M
M
Sugie
I
I
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