Invertebrate Cytokines: Tunicate Cell Proliferation Stimulated by an Interleukin 1-Like Molecule

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 88; no. 21; pp. 9518 - 9522
• Main Authors: Raftos, David A., Cooper, Edwin L., Habicht, Gail S., Beck, Gregory
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01.11.1991; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Analysis of the immune response. Humoral and cellular immunity; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Assay; Cell Division; Cell growth; Cells; Cells, Cultured; Cytokines - chemistry; Cytokines - isolation & purification; Cytokines - physiology; Echinoderms; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Hemolymph; Hemolymph - physiology; Immunobiology; In Vitro Techniques; Interleukins; Invertebrates; Leukocytes - physiology; Lymphokines, interleukins ( function, expression); Marine; Mice; Molecules; Pharynx - physiology; Regulatory factors and their cellular receptors; Styela clava; Thymocytes; Tunicates; Urochordata - physiology; Cell proliferation; Biological evolution; Cytokine; Tissue culture; Hemolymph; Lymphokine; Prochordata; Urochordata; Amoebocyte; Regulation(control); Analog; Interleukin 1; Gel filtration; Invertebrata; Chromatofocusing
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.88.21.9518

Tunicate pharyngeal cells include lymphocyte-like cells and granular amoebocytes. They are involved in the specific allogeneic and phagocytic reactions of tunicates. Little is known about their regulation or control. A tunicate interleukin 1 (IL-1)-like fraction is shown to stimulate the proliferation of these cells in vitro. This fraction, designated tunicate IL-1β, was isolated from tunicate hemolymph by gel filtration and chromatofocusing chromatography. Mitogenic responses to tunicate IL-1β were dose dependent and could be eliminated rapidly by removing tunicate IL-1β from culture medium. A second tunicate hemolymph fraction had no effect on tunicate cell proliferation even though it exhibited IL-1-like activity in a mouse thymocyte proliferation assay. Phytohemagglutinin did not act synergistically with either fraction. These data are discussed in terms of the function and evolution of IL-1-like molecules in invertebrates.