EXPRESSION OF INTERLEUKIN-2 RECEPTOR-GAMMA CHAIN ON HUMAN NEUTROPHILS

The interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor gamma is an indispensable functional component of IL-2, IL-4, and IL-7 receptors, and thus, is denoted the common gamma chain, gamma(c). The present study was undertaken to det ermine whether human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) expressed ga mma(c) chain. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Nort hern blot analysis showed that fresh human PMN constitutively expresse d a remarkable revel of gamma, mRNA, which is of the size and intensit y of that from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Granulo cyte macrophage-cotony stimulating factor, IL-2, and IL-8, which are k nown to activate PMN functions, failed to regulate the gamma(c) gene e xpression. Western blot analysis with a rabbit anti-gamma(c) polyclona l antibody identified 64-, 58-, and 50-kD gamma(c) bands in lysates fr om PMN, but only 64- and 58-kD bands from PBMCs. After the PMNs and PB MCs were treated with tunicamycin to prevent N-linked glycosylation, W estern blot analysis detected a single 39-kD band, which is equal to t he calculated molecular weight from the cloned cDNA. Thus, our results indicate that PMNs constitutively express high levels of gamma(c) and the three forms detected are caused by different glycosylation of a p rotein translated from a single mRNA species. (C) 1994 by The American Society of Hematology.