THROMBOPOIETIN - A POTENTIAL T-HELPER LYMPHOCYTE STIMULATOR - CHANGE IN T-LYMPHOCYTE COMPOSITION AND BLOOD CYTOKINE LEVELS IN THROMBOPOIETIN CDNA TRANSFERRED MICE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of thrombopoietin (TP O) on T lymphocyte in Balb/c mice delivered hTPO cDNA with plasmid vec tor. Both mature and immature T lymphocytes in central organs increase d, hut only the CD4(+) subset was preferably proliferated in circulati on. High serum IFN-gamma was coinciding with the declination of platel et counts, but TNF-alpha was positively associated with the platelet c ount, while high IL-2 level was similar to the course of TPO expressio n. Our data suggested that TPO is a stimulator for T lymphocytes, espe cially the CD4(+) subset.