Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1982 Jun 1;155(6):1610–1622. doi: 10.1084/jem.155.6.1610

Interferon inhibits the generation of allospecific suppressor T lymphocytes

PMCID: PMC2186714  PMID: 6176663

Abstract

The effect of human interferon alpha on the differentiation of functional populations of lymphocytes during the human allogeneic response in vitro was studied. Interferon alpha inhibited the generation of allospecific suppressor T lymphocytes that normally develop from lymphocytes primed in vitro against allogeneic cells. This effect was not the result of the destruction by interferon of precursor suppressor cells but rather to inhibition of their differentiation into active suppressor T lymphocytes. This inhibition was reversible and could be overcome by repeated allogeneic stimulation even in the presence of interferon. Inhibition of the generation of allospecific suppressor lymphocytes by interferon might play an important role in the allogeneic response. Interferon inhibited the proliferation of lymphocytes after allogeneic stimulation in a primary mixed lymphocyte reaction but enhanced their cytotoxicity. Despite the inhibitory effect in the primary mixed lymphocyte reaction, the specific secondary proliferative response of lymphocytes primed against a single HLA-DR antigen was only slightly affected by interferon. On the other hand, the nonspecific secondary proliferative response of lymphocytes primed in the presence of interferon was significantly reduced, indicating that interferon might decrease the recruitment of nonspecific "irrelevant" clones of responding cells during the sensitization period.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (908.7 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bach F. H., Alter B. J., Widmer M. B., Segall M., Dunlap B. Cloned cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic lymphocytes in mouse and man: their reactivities and a large cell surface membrane protein (LMP) differentiation marker system. Immunol Rev. 1981;54:5–26. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1981.tb00432.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cantell K., Hirvonen S. Preparation of human leukocyte interferon for clinical use. Tex Rep Biol Med. 1977;35:138–144. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Emeson E. E. Migratory behavior of lymphocytes with specific reactivity to alloantigens. II. Selective recruitment to lymphoid cell allografts and their draining lymph nodes. J Exp Med. 1978 Jan 1;147(1):13–24. doi: 10.1084/jem.147.1.13. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Farrar W. L., Johnson H. M., Farrar J. J. Regulation of the production of immune interferon and cytotoxic T lymphocytes by interleukin 2. J Immunol. 1981 Mar;126(3):1120–1125. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fradelizi D., Charmot D., Crosier P. S., Comoy A., Mawas C. E., Sasportes M. Cellular origin of cytotoxic effectors and secondary educated lymphocytes in human mixed leukocyte reaction. Cell Immunol. 1977 Mar 1;29(1):6–15. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(77)90270-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fradelizi D., Dausset J. Mixed lymphocyte reactivity of human lymphocytes primed in vitro. I. Secondary response to allogenic lymphocytes. Eur J Immunol. 1975 May;5(5):295–301. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830050502. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. France-One Joint report of the B lymphocyte specificities workshop of the France-one region. Tissue Antigens. 1976 Nov;8(5):345–353. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gallien-Lartigue O., Carrez D., De Maeyer E., De Maeyer-Guignard J. Strain dependence of the antiproliferative action of interferon on murine erythroid precursors. Science. 1980 Jul 11;209(4453):292–293. doi: 10.1126/science.6155700. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Heron I., Berg K., Cantell K. Regulatory effect of interferon on T cells in vitro. J Immunol. 1976 Oct;117(4):1370–1373. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Heron I., Berg K. Human leucocyte interferon: analysis of effect on MLC and effector cell generation. Scand J Immunol. 1979;9(6):517–526. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1979.tb03280.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kornbluth J., Silver D. M., Dupont B. Cloning and characterization of primary alloreactive human T-lymphocytes. Immunol Rev. 1981;54:111–155. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1981.tb00436.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lindahl-Magnusson P., Leary P., Gresser I. Interferon inhibits DNA synthesis induced in mouse lymphocyte suspensions by phytohaemagglutinin or by allogeneic cells. Nat New Biol. 1972 May 24;237(73):120–121. doi: 10.1038/newbio237120a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lindahl P., Leary P., Gresser I. Enhancement by interferon of the specific cytotoxicity of sensitized lymphocytes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Mar;69(3):721–725. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.3.721. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Pawelec G., Rehbein A., Alter B. J., Wernet P. Retention of specific proliferative capacity of cloned human T cells alloactivated against HLA-D alleles. Immunogenetics. 1980;11(5):527–532. doi: 10.1007/BF01567821. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Rich S. S., David C. S., Rich R. R. Regulatory mechanisms in cell-mediated immune responses. VII. Presence of I-C subregion determinants on mixed leukocyte reaction suppressor factor. J Exp Med. 1979 Jan 1;149(1):114–126. doi: 10.1084/jem.149.1.114. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sasportes M., Fradelizi D., Dausset J. HLA-DR specific human suppressor lymphocytes generated by repeated in vitro sensitisation against allogeneic cells. Nature. 1978 Nov 30;276(5687):502–504. doi: 10.1038/276502a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Sasportes M., Wollman E., Cohen D., Carosella E., Bensussan A., Fradelizi D., Dausset J. Suppression of the human allogenetic response in vitro with primed lymphocytes and suppressive supernates. J Exp Med. 1980 Aug 1;152(2 Pt 2):270s–283s. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Schendel D. J., Wank R., Dupont B. Standardization of the human in vitro cell-mediated lympholysis technique. Tissue Antigens. 1979 Feb;13(2):112–120. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0039.1979.tb01146.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sheehy M. J., Bach F. H. Primed LD typing (PLT)-technical considerations. Tissue Antigens. 1976 Sep;8(3):157–171. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sheehy M. J., Sondel P. M., Bach M. L., Wank R., Bach F. H. HL-A LD (lymphocyte defined) typing: a rapid assay with primed lymphocytes. Science. 1975 Jun 27;188(4195):1308–1310. doi: 10.1126/science.124948. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Zarling J. M., Sosman J., Eskra L., Borden E. C., Horoszewicz J. S., Carter W. A. Enhancement of T cell cytotoxic responses by purified human fibroblast interferon. J Immunol. 1978 Nov;121(5):2002–2004. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES