Interleukin-2 induces an early step in the activation of interferon-γ gene expression

Gila Arad*, Rachel Nussinovich, Raymond Kaempfer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Establishment of protective immunity depends critically on IFN-γ. We show that in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, low doses of IL-2 greatly potentiate the response of the IFN-γ gene to mitogen, by over 100-fold. By itself, IL-2 is unable to induce IFN-γ mRNA to a significant extent. Yet, exposure to IL-2 leads to cellular commitment within a few hours, expressed by greatly enhanced accumulation of IFN-γ mRNA upon subsequent exposure to phytohemagglutinin. Changes induced by IL-2 do not relieve the requirement for de novo protein synthesis during the early phases of induction of IFN-γ gene expression. IL-2 may induce a component essential for induction of IFN-γ mRNA that is utilized during subsequent exposure to a mitogenic signal. Our results demonstrate synergy between IL-2 and mitogen in IFN-γ gene induction.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)213-216
Number of pages4
JournalImmunology Letters
Volume44
Issue number2-3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Jan 1995

Keywords

  • Co-stimulatory factor
  • Human interferon-γ Gene expression
  • Interleukin-2
  • Mitogenic induction

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