[A system of assessing interleukin-2-dependent activation of B-lymphocytes]

The peripheral blood B-lymphocyte responsiveness to interleukin-2 (IL-2) has been studied in healthy donors. Unstimulated B-cells proliferated moderately in response to IL-2, this being not associated with an increase of TAC-positive cells. Phytolacca mitogen did not stimulate purified B-cells to proliferation and did not influence TAC expression and responsiveness to IL-2. S. aureus mitogen (SAC) provided a maximum proliferation in response to IL-2 with a dramatic increase of TAC expression. Simultaneous estimation of unstimulated and SAC-preactivated B-lymphocyte responses to IL-2, together with scintillation of TAC-positive cells, helps determine the degree of a possible injury to IL-2 receptor.