Df. Jelinek et Jk. Braaten, ROLE OF IL-12 IN HUMAN B-LYMPHOCYTE PROLIFERATION AND DIFFERENTIATION, The Journal of immunology, 154(4), 1995, pp. 1606-1613
The role of IL-12 in human peripheral blood B cell responsiveness was
examined. To analyze the ability of IL-12 to directly mediate B cell g
rowth and/or differentiation, FACS-purified (>99% pure) B cells were s
tudied and a polyclonal B cell-activating system utilizing Cowan I Sta
phylococcus aureus was used. Whereas IL-2 is highly effective in this
system in promoting both B cell growth and differentiation, IL-12 was
observed only to augment modestly B cell growth and to be ineffective
by itself as a B cell differentiation factor for S. aureus-stimulated
B cells. However, IL-12 markedly enhanced Ig secretion when added in t
he presence of IL-2. Moreover, when the ability of IL-12 to augment IL
-2-dependent B cell Ig secretion was compared with the ability of seve
ral known auxiliary B cell differentiation factors, IL-12 was observed
to be the most potent cytokine that could costimulate with IL-2. Anal
ysis of IL-12-stimulated B cell cultures failed to reveal outgrowth of
T cells and NK cells. In addition, assessment of IFN-gamma levels in
IL-12-driven B cell culture supernatants and analysis of IFN-gamma eff
ects on B cell responses added additional support to the conclusion th
at IL-12 directly modulates B cell function. Finally, these results su
ggest that IL-12 is a potent costimulus of B cell differentiation and
that the signals conveyed by IL-12 seem to be qualitatively distinct f
rom the differentiative signals delivered by other cytokines such as I
L-2.