A. Abdulhai et al., STIMULATION OF IMMUNE RECONSTITUTION BY INTERLEUKIN-7 AFTER SYNGENEICBONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION IN MICE, Experimental hematology, 24(12), 1996, pp. 1416-1422
Successful outcome of autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is
severely handicapped by susceptibility to infection and by a high rate
of relapse. While quantitative aspects of the immune system generally
return to normal within the first 3-4 months after BMT, the recovery
of qualitative immune functions is prolonged. Since interleukin-7 (IL-
7) has growth-promoting and differentiating effects on pre-B cells and
immature thymocytes, its role in thee recovery of immune functions wa
s investigated in BALB/c mice after syngeneic BMT (sBMT). After sBMT,
mice treated with human recombinant IL-7 (rIL-7) showed an 11.9-fold i
ncrease in thymic cellularity associated with an enhanced response to
a mitogenic stimulus compared with the controls. rIL-7 significantly i
ncreased RAG-1 expression and promoted V beta 8(D)J gene rearrangement
of the T cell receptor in the thymus. Further, the cytokine boosted s
urvival after challenge with influenza virus following sBMT. The findi
ng that rIL-7 induces differentiation and proliferation of immature th
ymocytes and counteracts post-BMT immune deficiency makes it a promisi
ng medium for clinical application in BMT patients.