Interleukin 6 is an autocrine growth factor for mesangial cells

• Published in: Kidney international Vol. 38; no. 2; pp. 249 - 257
• Main Authors: Ruef, Christian, Budde, Klemens, Lacy, Jill, Northemann, Wolfgang, Baumann, Matthias, Sterzel, R. Bernd, Coleman, David L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.08.1990; Nature Publishing
• Subjects: Analysis of the immune response. Humoral and cellular immunity; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Northern; Cell Division; Cell Line; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Glomerular Mesangium - cytology; Immunobiology; Interleukin-6 - metabolism; Interleukin-6 - physiology; Lymphokines, interleukins ( function, expression); Male; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Recombinant Proteins - pharmacology; Regulatory factors and their cellular receptors; Cell proliferation; Cell culture; Rat; Mesangial cell; Rodentia; Cytokine; Biosynthesis; Biological activity; Kidney; Interleukin 6; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Urinary system; Growth factor
• ISSN: 0085-2538; 1523-1755
• DOI: 10.1038/ki.1990.193

Interleukin 6 is an autocrine growth factor for mesangial cells. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) induces the acute phase response, differentiation of B cells, proliferation of T cells, thymocytes, hematopoietic progenitors, hybridoma and plasmacytoma cells. Monocytes, T cells, fibroblasts, epithelial and endothelial cells secrete IL-6. Since IL-6 responsive cell-types may participate in the pathogenesis of glomerular inflammation, we studied the secretion of IL-6 by rat MCs, using the IL-6 dependent hybridoma cell line B9. The results of our studies indicate that MCs secrete IL-6 with a molecular weight of 17-42kDa and isoelectric point of 4.0 to 5.3. MC-IL-6 activity could be blocked by a polyclonal antimurine-IL-6 antibody. MC express IL-6 mRNA as determined by Northern blot. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that IL-6 acts as an autocrine growth factor for MC. Incubation of subconfluent MC with recombinant IL-6 results in a dose-dependent increase of 3H-thymidine incorporation and number of MCs. Moreover, reverse phase HPLC fractions of MC-CM containing IL-6 activity increase 3H-thymidine incorporation by MC. In addition to its possible paracrine role in mediating the immune response in the glomerulus, MC-IL-6 may also be one of the autocrine signals leading to mesangial cell proliferation in vivo.