Chemical identification of a prostaglandin-induced T suppressor (PITS)

Prostaglandin E1 is known to block the activation and function of immunocompetent cells. Previous studies from this laboratory have established that one pathway where prostaglandin E1 acts involves the stimulation of a glass-wool adherent T-suppressor cell. Prostaglandin stimulates this suppressor cell to release a suppressor lymphokine(s), termed the prostaglandin-induced T cell-derived suppressor (PITS). We report here the further characterization of this factor using high-pressure liquid chromatographic analyses, precursor labeling studies, and bioanalysis, all of which indicate that this factor contains a leukotriene.