The molecular basis of immune cytokine action

The polypeptide hormones governing the proliferation and differentiation of the mature immune system and hematopoiesis are collectively referred to as lymphokines. We have examined a number of biochemical and molecular events stimulated by several unique lymphokines which exhibit proliferative activity on lymphoid and myeloid cell lines. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and several members of the colony-stimulating factors (IL-3, G-CSF, and GM-CSF) stimulate similar patterns of cellular phosphorylation including the prominent phosphorylation of a 68-kDa substrate present in numerous distinct lineage cell lines. The 68-kDa substrate is phosphorylated by protein kinase C on threonine residues and is primarily cytosolic. Another kinase system activated by either physiological ligand or synthetic diacylglycerol phosphorylated the 40S ribosomal protein in a dose-dependent manner. The increased phosphorylation of S6 protein was associated with enhanced chain elongation in vitro. The kinase responsible for the in situ phosphorylation, however, was not protein kinase-C (PK-C) but another physicochemically distinct Mg2+-dependent enzyme (termed S6 kinase). These studies suggested that, although PK-C was activated by diacylglycerol, another kinase, S6 kinase, was the effector enzyme involved in the phosphorylation of the 40S protein. IL-2 and all other CSFs tested stimulated the transcription of the nuclear protooncogenes c-fos, c-myc, and c-myb. In addition, ornithine decarboxylase mRNA accumulation was also stimulated. Phorbol esters also stimulated similar gene expression; however, cyclic AMP analog inhibited phorbol ester or ligand-induced c-myc expression and ODC mRNA accumulation. Cyclic AMP agonists are antiproliferative to all the growth factors tested. We have constructed complementary oligonucleotides, "antisense", against c-fos, c-myc, and other structural genes induced by the growth factors. Such antisense oligomers were capable of selectively deleting protein expression of the respective gene products and inhibited the biological action of the growth factors.