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Human Natural Killer Clones Enhance in Vitro Antibody Production by Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha and Gamma Interferon
Author(s) -
BECKER J. C.,
KOLANUS W.,
LONNEMANN C.,
SCHMIDT R. E.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1990.tb02905.x
Subject(s) - biology , antibody , cytokine , tumor necrosis factor alpha , interleukin 21 , microbiology and biotechnology , natural killer cell , lymphokine activated killer cell , interferon gamma , immunology , immune system , in vitro , cytotoxic t cell , t cell , biochemistry
To determine whether NK cells are involved in the regulation of the antibody response, we studied the effects of human NK clones on B‐cell growth and differentiation and the mechanisms involved. We demonstrate that various human NK clones enhance the immunoglobulin production of SAC/rlL‐2‐activated B cells, e.g. IgG and IgM by up to 230% and anti‐tetanus toxoid antibodies by up to 430%. Cell‐cell interactions via cell‐surface structures, e.g. the CD11a/CD18 molecule, were found to be critical. Subsequently the NK‐mediated B‐cell regulation involves cytokines, since cell‐free supernatants obtained by 48‐h cultures of NK clones exerted BCGF and BCDF activity. Neutralization studies and direct determination characterized these cytokines as IFN‐γ and TNF‐α. The cytokine production of NK clones could be triggered by activated B cells only. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that activated B cells in co‐culture with NK clones were able to induce accumulation of mRNA transcripts for IFN‐γ and TNF‐α in NK cells.