Macrophage activation: dissociation of cytotoxic activity from Ia-A antigen expression.

Abstract

Peritoneal macrophages were obtained from DBA/2 mice that were untreated or after the injection of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), thioglycollate broth, proteose-peptone broth, or gamma-irradiated P-815 tumor cells. These macrophages were "activated" to become cytotoxic for a fibroblast cell line (L 929) by the addition of lymphokines (LKs), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or fibroblast interferon (IFN-beta), and the expression of I region-associated antigens (Ia-Ad) on the macrophages was examined both before and after activation. Thioglycollate-elicited macrophages became Ia-A+ when activated by LKs, but they remained Ia-A- when activated by LPS or IFN-beta. Resident macrophages and proteose-peptone-elicited macrophages remained Ia-A- when activated with LKs. Macrophages from BCG-infected mice were both Ia-A+ and cytotoxic for tumor cells without further treatment. In contrast, macrophages from mice injected with gamma-irradiated P-815 mastocytoma cells were Ia-A+ but not cytotoxic, and these macrophages could not be made cytotoxic by incubation with LKs. The cultured macrophage-like cell lines P388D1 and WEHI-3 became Ia-A+ after incubation with LKs, and this treatment amplified the cytotoxicity of both cell lines. We conclude that a number of factors are important in determining whether Ia-A expression accompanies macrophage activation and that Ia-A is irrelevant as a surface marker for macrophage activation.

• Authors: E J Blumenthal, W K Roberts, A Vasil, D W Talmage
• Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A) Vol. 80 Issue 7 Pg. 2031-5 (Apr 1983) ISSN: 0027-8424 [Print] United States
• PMID: 6572960 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Histocompatibility Antigens Class II
• Lymphokines

Topics

• Animals
• Ascitic Fluid (cytology)
• Cytotoxicity, Immunologic
• Histocompatibility Antigens Class II (immunology)
• Immunity, Cellular
• Lymphokines (pharmacology)
• Macrophages (immunology)
• Mice