Production of IL-1 alpha by activated Th type 2 cells. Its role as an autocrine growth factor

Autocrine growth of Th type 2 cells has been reported to be mediated by the lymphokine IL-4. In this report we present evidence that in addition to IL-4 Th2 cells also produce IL-1 alpha in its active form in the absence of APC. We have found that this cytokine is an autocrine growth factor, because proliferation of Th2 cells in response to several stimuli is inhibited by anti-IL-1 alpha or anti-IL-1R mAb, or by an IL-1 alpha antisense oligodeoxynucleotide. However, Th1 cells do not produce this cytokine. We have investigated the role of endogenous IL-1 alpha on the induction of c-myc and c-myb, two protooncogenes involved in T cell activation. Here we show that endogenous IL-1 alpha is involved in the activation of both protooncogenes. Our results suggest that a possible function of IL-1 alpha, and perhaps other growth factors, might be to sustain or amplify the initial second messengers derived through the TCR. The possible implications of this finding with respect to interactions between T cell subsets and B cells or macrophages are discussed.