Murine interleukin 7 (IL-7) receptor. Characterization on an IL-7-dependent cell line.

A murine cell line (IxN/2b) absolutely dependent upon exogenous IL-7 for continued growth has been obtained that expresses lymphoid precursor and class I MHC antigens and also contains a rearranged mu heavy chain. This cell line has been used to define the binding and structural characteristics of the murine IL-7 receptor using 125I-labeled recombinant murine IL-7. 125I-IL-7 binding to IxN/2b cell was rapid and saturable at both 4 degrees and 37 degrees C. Equilibrium binding studies produced curvilinear Scatchard plots at both temperatures with high and low affinity Ka values of approximately 1 x 10(10) M-1 and 4 x 10(8) M-1, respectively, and a total of 2,000-2,500 IL-7 binding sites expressed per cell. Experiments measuring inhibition of binding of 125I-IL-7 by unlabeled IL-7 also produced data consistent with the existence of two classes of IL-7 receptors. Evidence concerning the possible molecular nature of two classes of IL-7 receptors was provided by dissociation kinetics and affinity crosslinking experiments. The dissociation rate of 125I-IL-7 was markedly increased when measured in the presence of unlabeled IL-7 at both 37 degrees and 4 degrees C, which is diagnostic of a receptor population displaying negative cooperativity. Crosslinking studies showed that under both reducing and nonreducing conditions, the major crosslinked species observed corresponded to a receptor size of 75-79 kD while a less intense higher molecular mass crosslinked species was also seen which corresponded to a receptor size approximately twice as large (159-162 kD). Both types of experiments suggest that the IL-7 receptor may form noncovalently associated dimers in the membrane. The IL-7 receptor was expressed on pre-B cells, but not detected on several murine B cell lines or primary mature B cells. It was also expressed on murine thymocytes, some T lineage cell lines, and on bone marrow-derived macrophage. All cells binding 125I-IL-7 exhibited curvilinear Scatchard plots. No cytokines or growth factors tested were able to inhibit binding of 125I-IL-7 to its receptor. These results define the initial binding and structural characteristics, and the cellular distribution, of the murine IL-7 receptor.

B cell precursor growth-promoting activity. Purification and characterization of a growth factor active on lymphocyte precursors.

We have used a biological assay system we developed to biochemically purify a previously uncharacterized murine lymphopoietic growth factor designated lymphopoietin 1 (LP-1). This factor is capable of stimulating the proliferation and extended maintenance of precursor cells of the B lineage. A stromal cell line producing LP-1 was established after transfection of primary stromal cultures with a plasmid encoding the transforming genes of SV40. This factor was purified to a single 25-kD species from the culture supernatant of an adherent stromal cell line. This material acts on immature lymphocytes, it binds to specific receptors on cells, and is distinct from previously described hematopoietic factors. LP-1 has been purified some 10(7)-fold with an overall recovery of 35%. The purified protein exhibits a specific activity of approximately 4 X 10(6) U/micrograms of protein and is active at a half-maximal concentration of 10(-13) M.

Interleukin 7 is produced by murine and human keratinocytes.

Interleukin 7 (IL-7) was originally identified as a growth factor for B cell progenitors, and subsequently has been shown to exert proliferative effects on T cell progenitors and mature peripheral T cells as well. Constitutive IL-7 mRNA expression so far had been demonstrated in bone marrow stromal cell lines, thymus, spleen, and among nonlymphoid tissues in liver and kidney. Here we show that both murine and human keratinocytes express IL-7 mRNA and release IL-7 protein in biologically relevant amounts. The physiological or pathological relevance of keratinocyte-derived IL-7 is presently unknown. Our finding that keratinocytes can produce IL-7 in concert with reports that IL-7 is a growth factor for in vivo primed antigen-specific T cells, as well as for T lymphoma cells suggests, however, that keratinocyte-derived IL-7 is important in the pathogenesis of inflammatory skin diseases and cutaneous T cell lymphoma.

Inhibition of murine B and T lymphopoiesis in vivo by an anti-interleukin 7 monoclonal antibody.

The effects of interleukin 7 (IL-7) on the growth and differentiation of murine B cell progenitors has been well characterized using in vitro culture methods. We have investigated the role of IL-7 in vivo using a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes IL-7. We find that treatment of mice with this antibody completely inhibits the development of B cell progenitors from the pro-B cell stage forward. We also provide evidence that all peripheral B cells, including those of the B-1 and conventional lineages, are derived from IL-7-dependent precursors. The results are consistent with the rapid turnover of B cell progenitors in the marrow, but a slow turnover of mature B cells in the periphery. In addition to effects on B cell development, anti-IL-7 treatment substantially reduced thymus cellularity, affecting all major thymic subpopulations.

Interleukin-7 retroviruses transform pre-B cells by an autocrine mechanism not evident in Abelson murine.

In this study, we have constructed retroviral vectors expressing the interleukin-7 (IL-7) cDNA and have used infection with these retroviruses to express this cytokine endogenously in an IL-7-dependent pre-B-cell line. Infection with IL-7 retroviruses, but not with a control retrovirus, resulted in the conversion of the cells to IL-7 independence. The frequency at which this occurred, together with data on vector expression levels, indicated that secondary events were required for factor independence in this system. Southern analysis showed that the IL-7-dependent clones harbored unrearranged copies of the vector proviruses. The factor-independent cells produced variable quantities of IL-7 as measured by an IL-7-specific bioassay, and their proliferation could be substantially inhibited by a neutralizing antibody directed against IL-7, indicating that a classical autocrine-mechanism was responsible for their transformation. These IL-7-independent cells were tumorigenic, in contrast to the parental IL-7-dependent cells or those infected with a control vector. These results showed that IL-7 could participate in the malignant transformation of pre-B cells. However, neither of two Abelson murine leukemia virus (A-MuLV)-transformed pre-B-cell lines expressed detectable IL-7 mRNA, at a level of sensitivity corresponding to less than one molecule of mRNA per cell. Moreover, the proliferation of the A-MuLV transformants was unaffected by addition of the IL-7 antisera under conditions in which parallel experiments with IL-7 virus-infected cells resulted in greater than 70% growth inhibition. Thus, transformation of pre-B cells by A-MuLV was not associated with a demonstrable autocrine loop of IL-7 synthesis. These results show that IL-7 can participate in the malignant transformation of pre-B cells and suggest studies aimed at assessing the role of autocrine production of IL-7 in the generation of human leukemias and lymphomas.

Stage-specific transformation of murine B lineage cells by ras and myc.

The retroviral vector delta RM coexpresses the v-Ha-ras and v-mycMC29 oncogenes, under the transcriptional control of the retroviral long terminal repeat and an internal SV40 promoter respectively. In this report, the transforming activity of the delta RM virus on murine pre-B cells has been compared and contrasted with its activity on mature splenic B cells. Infection of primary bone marrow cells, followed by growth in the Whitlock-Witte culture system, resulted in the rapid outgrowth of transformed pre-B cells. These cells grew to high saturation densities and could give rise to immortal, interleukin-7-independent progeny that were able to grow independently of stromal elements. In contrast, infection of mature B cells purified from murine spleen resulted in only a transient increase in proliferation, and no immortal B cell lines were obtained. This inability of delta RM to transform mature B lymphocytes was not due to a low infection frequency, since parallel experiments with ecotropic retroviruses conferring drug resistance showed that the mature B cells were readily infectable. Moreover, Northern analysis showed that the delta RM-infected mature B cells expressed ras and myc mRNAs to higher levels than the delta RM transformed pre-B cells. Thus, coexpression of ras and myc resulted in the transformation of primary pre-B cells but not of the mature B cells. The potential explanations for the stage-specific transforming activity of the delta RM retrovirus are discussed.

The glycosyl moiety of lectin from sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia, Scop.).

A lectin isolated from the seeds of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia, Scop. var Eski) has been shown to be a glycoprotein containing 2.6% (w/w) neutral carbohydrate and 1.6% (w/w) glucosamine (Hapner, K.D. and Robbins, J.E. (1979) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 580, 186--197) A homogeneous glycopeptide accounting for 70% of the original glycoprotein carbohydrate was isolated from pronase digests of the lectin by gel filtration chromatography. Gas-liquid chromatographic and amino acid analyses showed the glycosyl portion to contain glucosamine, mannose, xylose and fucose in molar ratio to glycopeptide of 1.8 : 1.8 : 0.7 : 0.9. The amino acid sequence was determined as H2N-Ser-Asn(glycosyl)-glu-Thr-COOH. The glycosyl moiety was attached to the peptide through N-glycosidic linkage between asparagine and glucosamine.

The effects of interleukin 7 (IL-7) on human bone marrow in vitro.

Interleukin 7 (IL-7) stimulates the proliferation of pre-B cells from long-term murine lymphoid cultures and normal bone marrow. In addition, IL-7 stimulates the proliferation of murine T cells, including fetal and adult thymocytes as well as peripheral T cells. Flow cytometry and cell enumeration analyses were carried out on light-density human bone marrow cells incubated in the presence or absence of IL-7. The data showed no evidence for a proliferative effect of IL-7 on B-lineage cells expressing CD24 or on myeloid cells expressing CD15; however, IL-7 did stimulate the growth of T cells expressing CD3. After 16 days of stimulation the number of CD3+ cells in marrow cultures increased 350% in the presence of IL-7. In contrast, cultures incubated in the absence of IL-7 showed a 50% decrease in the number of T cells, with a preponderance of myeloid lineage cells. Flow cytometry indicated that cells from IL-7-stimulated cultures were mature T cells because they also expressed cell surface antigens for either CD4 or CD8. These studies show that in contrast to the murine system, IL-7 does not appear to stimulate the growth of human pre-B cells from adult human bone marrow. This is consistent with other experiments that suggest that human pro-B cells and not human pre-B cells respond to IL-7. It appears that IL-7 preferentially promotes the growth of T cells from human marrow.

Production and characterization of bovine interleukin-2.

A lymphokine analogous to interleukin-2 from other species was generated from bovine suprapharyngeal lymph nodes and characterized biochemically. The isolated material can support the long-term growth of concanavalin A (Con-A) or mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR)-activated bovine T cells. The material elutes from DEAE-Sephadex at a low salt concentration, approximately 0.075 M, and exhibits molecular weight of approximately 25,000 on Sephadex G-100. When subjected to analysis by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), three peaks of activity were observed, corresponding to molecular weights of 14,400, 16,800 and 20,200. Finally, the isolated material exhibited a marked heterogeneity when subjected to chromatofocussing. Three major peaks of activity, with pIs of approximately 5.95, 5.41 and 5.0 are present with peaks of lesser activity at pIs of 5.82, 5.70, 4.73 and 4.20.

Measurement of interleukin 7.

This unit describes an assay system to detect biologically active interleukin 7 (IL-7). The target or indicator cells are a clonally derived long-term pre-B cell line designated IxN/2bx (or, more simply, 2bx). These cells demonstrate an absolute specificity for IL-7 for continued growth and viability and are used to establish a thymidine-uptake proliferation assay similar to those established for other interleukins. A Support Protocol describes maintenance of the IxN/2bx cell line.

In vivo evaluation of the effects of interleukins 2, 4 and 7 on enhancing the immunotherapeutic efficacy of anti-tumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

The draining lymph nodes of mice injected with viable syngeneic tumor cells contain lymphoid cells capable of generating anti-tumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) during a 4-day in vitro culture period and intravenous infusion of relatively low numbers of these CTL can effectively eliminate a challenge of fibrosarcoma cells at distal skin sites that would otherwise result in the death of the host. Using this model system the effects of addition of interleukin (IL) 2, IL4 or IL7 to the culture medium on the therapeutic efficacy of the anti-tumor CTL generated was investigated. In this regard, IL7 was found to be the most potent of the cytokines tested. Addition of IL7 either alone, or in combination with low doses of IL2, resulted in the generation of CTL with significantly (6-8-fold) enhanced therapeutic efficacy in vivo. Anti-tumor effector cells generated in the presence of IL7 were also found to be at least 4-fold more effective at eliminating established tumors than CTL generated in medium alone. Of the other cytokines tested, addition of IL2 resulted in elevated CTL activity in vitro, but only a modest (approximately 2-3-fold) enhancement of the therapeutic efficacy in vivo. Addition of IL4, either alone or in combination with IL2, also resulted in the generation of effector cells with enhanced tumoricidal activity in vitro and yet the therapeutic efficacy of these cells was decreased compared to that of CTL generated in medium alone. These observations indicate that (a) inclusion of IL7 in the medium in which tumor-reactive T cells are cultured can markedly enhance the immunotherapeutic efficacy of the resulting effector cell populations; and (b) in vitro assays of tumoricidal activity cannot be used as a reliable predictor of therapeutic efficacy in vivo.

Interleukin-7: a new hematopoietic growth factor.

IL-7 is a regulator of early lymphoid progenitors of both the T cell and B cell lineages. The high level of expression of IL-7 mRNA under steady state conditions in the thymus suggest that IL-7 is an important regulator of basal lymphoid development. Early pre-clinical data also suggests that IL-7 may have a role in platelet production.

Human IL-7: a novel T cell growth factor.

IL-7 is a hemopoietic growth factor that induces the proliferation of early B lineage cells. In the course of studies to determine its effect on human bone marrow cells, we noted a marked outgrowth of mature T cells. When T cells from the circulation were cultured with IL-7, a dose-dependent proliferative response was observed. The target cells included both the CD4+ and CD8+ subpopulations of T cells, but the memory T cells (CD45R-) were better responders than unprimed T cells (CD45R+). IL-7 induced the expression of receptors for IL-2 and transferrin and higher levels of the 4F2 activation Ag. Although T cell responses to suboptimal concentrations of IL-7 were enhanced by the addition of IL-2, the proliferative response to IL-7 was not inhibited by neutralizing antibody to the IL-2R (Tac), nor was IL-2 secretion detected in this response. This response pattern of mature T cells suggests an important role for IL-7 in normal T cell physiology in humans.

A comparison of the cell-binding characteristics of the mitogenic and nonmitogenic lectins from lima beans.

Using the two lectins from lima bean, we have tested the model for mitogenic stimulation of lymphocytes proposed by Prujansky et al. (Prujansky, A., Ravid, A., and Sharon, N. (1978) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 508, 137-146). The lectins used, a tetramer with two saccharide-binding sites and an octamer with four binding sites, are specific for N-acetyl-D-galactosamine. Our results show that cooperative binding may not be a prerequisite for mitogenicity of all lectins. We found that neither the weakly mitogenic tetramer nor the potently mitogenic octamer bound cooperatively to bovine lymphocytes. The strong mitogen bound with a higher affinity than the weak mitogen and fewer mitogen molecules bound to the lymphocyte surface at saturation. Competitive binding experiments indicated that both lectins bound to the same receptors. Our results suggest that the mitogenic lectin is able to bind and cross-link more membrane receptors. We have also studied the binding of the lima bean lectins to human red blood cells of types A, AB, B, and O. Both lectins bound cooperatively to type A and type AB cells and our data indicate that the lima bean lectins bind predominantly to the type A determinant.

Regulation of human T cell proliferation by IL-7.

The regulation of human T cell proliferation by rIL-7 was investigated. Purified peripheral blood T cells were stimulated to proliferate in a short-term assay by IL-7 in the presence of CD3 mAb or lectin. This stimulation was accompanied by a significant increase in the expression of IL-2R on both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells over that seen with mitogen alone. The proliferation of these cells in the presence of exogenous IL-7 involved both IL-2-dependent and - independent mechanisms as shown by the ability of neutralizing IL-2 antibody to partially inhibit the response. Anti-IL-4 and anti-IL-6 antibodies had no effect on IL-7-induced T cell growth. These results suggest that the costimulatory effect of IL-7 on human T cells is primarily direct, not involving other intermediate T cell growth factors. IL-7 was also found to be mitogenic in a long-term assay in the absence of any costimulus, with the onset of proliferation occurring later than that seen in the presence of mitogen. These results demonstrate that IL-7 provides a potent T cell stimulus either alone or in the presence of co-mitogen and, although this stimulus is accompanied by an increase in the level of IL-2R expression, it is not dependent on the action of IL-2 for its effect.

Clonal growth of murine pre-B colony-forming cells and their targeted infection by a retroviral vector: dependence on interleukin-7.

The cDNA for interleukin-7 (IL-7) was recently isolated from a stromal cell line derived from a long-term B-lymphoid culture. We report that purified recombinant murine IL-7 can promote the clonal growth in semi-solid culture of a subpopulation of cells expressing the B220 surface antigen from normal murine bone marrow. These colony-forming cells (CFC-Pre-B) give rise to colonies of 20 to 1,000 cells after 7 days in culture. Morphologic examination of cells within the colonies showed a characteristic lymphoid morphology, and histochemical examination demonstrated an absence of markers associated with granulocyte, macrophage, eosinophil, or megakaryocyte differentiation, as well as an absence of hemoglobinization (indicative or erythroid differentiation). IL-7 was found to specifically enhance the infection of CFC-Pre-B but not CFU-GM when the cytokine was present during a 48-hour co-cultivation period between irradiated, retrovirus-producing psi 2 clones and normal mouse bone marrow cells. In contrast, IL-3 enhanced the infection of CFU-GM but not CFC-Pre-B. Thymidine suiciding studies suggest that this targeted infection is due to specific induction of cycling of CFC-Pre-B by IL-7 and CFU-GM by IL-3. These data demonstrate that IL-7 can target retroviral infection into a specific subpopulation of early B-lymphoid cells (CFC-Pre-B), and that IL-7 cannot directly promote the in vitro clonal growth of myeloid committed progenitor cells (ie, CFU-GM).

Normal B cell precursors responsive to recombinant murine IL-7 and inhibition of IL-7 activity by transforming growth factor-beta.

The ability of stromal cells in bone marrow to support B lymphopoiesis may be partially mediated by secretion of biologically active factors. The first cytokine with lymphopoietic activity to be molecularly cloned from stromal cells, IL-7, was originally identified by its growth-promoting activity on long term cultured lymphocytes. We now report that murine rIL-7 is a potent proliferative stimulus for B cell progenitors isolated from fresh bone marrow. Proliferation was initially most obvious among large precursor cells which bear the B lineage associated Ag, Ly5/220 and BP1. A majority of these also contained cytoplasmic Ig mu H chains. Extended culture with IL-7 resulted in a predominance of immature c mu- lymphocytes. No effect by IL-7 was observed on the proliferation of mature lymphocytes. It also did not induce maturation in a number of early B lineage cell lines, or promote the formation of LPS-responsive, clonable B cells from precursors. When incorporated into semisolid agar medium, IL-7 specifically and rapidly induced the formation of pre-B cell colonies in a linear fashion with respect to numbers of cells cultured from either purified B cell progenitor preparations or unfractionated bone marrow. In both liquid and agar culture conditions, the IL-7 proliferative activity was inhibitable by two related forms of transforming growth factor (TGF) beta, TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 2. Taken together, these results indicate that IL-7 is a stimulus for replication of normal B lineage cells at an early stage of differentiation, and its activity can be modulated by other cytokines. IL-7 also provides a means of studying the progeny of a single B cell progenitor, and of enumerating clonable pre-B cells in the absence of colony formation by other cell types in bone marrow.

Administration of IL-7 to mice with cyclophosphamide-induced lymphopenia accelerates lymphocyte repopulation.

Lymphopenia was induced in mice by a single injection of cyclophosphamide. IL-7 or a control protein were administered to the mice twice daily and the cellularity and composition of the spleen, lymph node, bone marrow, and thymus were determined at various time points thereafter. In comparison to the control cyclophosphamide-treated mice, animals receiving cyclophosphamide and IL-7 had an accelerated regeneration of splenic and lymph node cellularity. There was no significant difference in the rate of recovery of the bone marrow and thymus of the control and IL-7-treated mice. Assessment of the pre-B cell compartment revealed a dramatic increase in total pre-B cell numbers in the spleen and bone marrow of the IL-7-treated mice as measured by both flow microfluorimetry and a pre-B cell colony-forming assay. This was followed in a few days by a significant increase in surface IgM+B cell numbers to levels above normal values in both the spleen and lymph node. IL-7 administration to cyclophosphamide-treated mice also resulted in an accelerated recovery of peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ cell numbers in the spleen and lymph node. The numbers of CD8+ cells were increased by twofold over normal levels in cyclophosphamide-treated mice receiving IL-7. Myeloid recovery was determined in cyclophosphamide treated mice by assessing the numbers of CFU-granulocyte-macrophage and Mac 1+ cells. There was no significant difference in myeloid recovery between cyclophosphamide-treated mice receiving IL-7 or control protein. These results suggest that administration of IL-7 after chemical-induced lymphopenia may have therapeutic benefits in shortening the period required to achieve normal lymphoid cellularity.