Natural suppressor activity in graft-vs-host spleen and normal bone marrow is augmented by IL 2 and interferon-gamma

Natural suppressor (NS) cells isolated from the spleens of mice 34 or more days after induction of chronic graft-vs-host disease showed potent suppressor activity that was dependent on the presence of lymphokines such as those found in lectin-free Con A supernatant (CAS). Both IL 2 and IFN-gamma were found to enhance NS activity, with IFN-gamma being the most active molecule. To generalize these findings, normal adult bone marrow (BM), a second environment where NS activity has been reported, was examined. Normal adult BM cells nonspecifically suppressed both B and T cell mitogen responses. BM suppression could also be enhanced by the addition of CAS to the cultures. Removal of plastic-adherent cells, Thy-1.2-positive cells, or B cells did not significantly diminish suppression or remove the ability to enhance suppression with CAS. When isolated on discontinuous Percoll gradients, BM suppressor cells banded in the less dense fractions, and the suppression in these bands was also enhanced by lymphokines. The suppressive activity of these cells was greatly enhanced by the addition of CAS, IFN-gamma, or IL 2. However, IFN-gamma appears to be a more potent enhancing molecule, being active at levels between 1 and 10 U/ml.