Biochemical characterization and purification of human B cell stimulatory factor (BSF)

An antiproliferative bioassay for interleukin-4

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is currently being used for therapeutic intervention in a wide range of malignant diseases as an antitumour agent. Although bioassays have been developed that measure the proliferative capacity of IL-4, none measure the antiproliferative activity of this molecule. We have developed a simple, sensitive bioassay for human IL-4 based on the ability of this cytokine to inhibit the proliferation of the human lung carcinoma line, CCL-185, an easy to maintain, cytokine independent, cell line. It is rapid, reproducible and sensitive, able to detect 2 pg/ml IL-4. The assay is completely unresponsive to all other interleukins from IL-2 to IL-12, to the colony stimulating factors and transforming growth factor beta and is 100-fold less sensitive to interferon-alpha, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-13. The assay can be made completely specific for IL-4 by including specific neutralizing antibodies for IL-4 and is suitable for the estimation of IL-4 in both plasma and serum samples.

Identification of a human non-interferon lymphokine activating monocyte complement biosynthesis

A monocyte-stimulating activity produced by mitogen-induced mononuclear cells has been defined by its ability to enhance the synthesis in vitro of complement C1 subcomponents, C2 and C3. A lymphokine responsible for this activity was purified from culture supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells activated by staphylococcal enterotoxin A. From 0.5 litre of supernatant the purification procedure [(NH4)2SO4 precipitation, phenyl-Sepharose chromatography and preparative electrofocusing] yielded about 100 pmol of purified lymphokine. Its pI is 7.9 and its Mr, estimated by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, is 14,600, 27,000 and 56,000, the high-Mr species representing oligomeric forms of the Mr-14,600 molecule. Its amino acid analysis reveals a high percentage of hydrophobic amino acids (34%); the absence of histidine residues suggests that it is a novel monocyte-activating lymphokine. It enhances C1r and C1s biosynthesis at a pretranslational level. From its structure and activity this lymphokine appears different from gamma-interferon.

Distinct culture requirements for activation and proliferation of human peripheral blood B lymphocytes by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain and growth factors

The concentration of fetal calf serum (FCS) and the culture period were the crucial culture conditions in measuring B cell growth factor (BCGF) and IL-2 activity in vitro. Higher concentrations of FCS (10-15%) significantly inhibited BCGF activity; whereas, lower concentrations of FCS (less than 2.5%) were not sufficient for the response to IL-2. Kinetic experiments showed that the culture period for BCGF should be shorter than that for IL-2, while BCGF in combination with IL-2 induced a synergistic proliferation of B cells in a longer culture period. Adding BCGF after 48 h of SAC stimulation reduced the reaction. Hence, the conventional method using preactivated B cells does not measure BCGF but mostly IL-2. Furthermore, minute amounts of BCGF activity can be more sensitively determined by co-culturing with fixed amounts of IL-2.

Neuroleukin: a lymphokine product of lectin-stimulated T cells

Neuroleukin is a lymphokine product of lectin-stimulated T cells that induces immunoglobulin secretion by cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Neuroleukin acts early in the in vitro response that leads to formation of antibody-secreting cells, but continued production of immunoglobulin by differentiated antibody-secreting cells is neuroleukin-independent. Although the factor is not directly mitogenic, cellular proliferation is a late component of the response to neuroleukin. Neuroleukin does not have B-cell growth factor (BCGF) or B-cell differentiation factor (BCDF) activity in defined assays. Neuroleukin-evoked induction of immunoglobulin secretion is both monocyte- and T-cell-dependent.