title: T-cell regulation of human B-cell activation. A reappraisal of the role of interleukin 2.
abstract: The polyclonal activator pokeweed mitogen (PWM) has been widely used to study regulatory mechanisms in the differentiation of human B cells into immunoglobulin (Ig) secreting plasma cells (for review see Ref. 1). PWM-induced proliferation and differentiation of human B cells is strictly T-cell dependent and may provide a means to study the immunoregulatory activities of T-cell subsets(1-3). Furthermore, several antigen-non-specific T-cell derived factors have been shown toregulate B-cell activation(4,5). One class ofsolublefactors, designatedB-cellgrowthfactors(BCGF), supports growth of human B cells, when pre-activated by anti-Ig antibody or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I(SAC)(4,5). A second class offactors, B-cell differentiation factors (BCDF) induces terminal differentiation of activated B cells into Ig secretingplasma cells(5). Here Frank Miedema and Cornelius Melief examine the claims and counterclaims concerning the influence of interleukin 2, a T-cell growth factor, on B cells and conclude that interleukin 2 has a pivotal role in the humoral immune response. The role of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) in B-cell activation is still controversial. Although a direct effect of IL-2 on resting murine B cells has been suggested by some investigators(6,7), others claim that IL-2 did not act on resting murine B cells(8-10).
authors.affiliation: Central Laboratory of the Netherlands Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, incorporating the Department of Experimental and Clinical Immunology of the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Miedema
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Melief