Cellular collaboration in the production of human leucocyte migration inhibition factor

The participation of cell subpopulations in the expression of leucocyte migration inhibition factor (LMIF) in response to Concanavalin A and Protein A was evaluated for cells isolated from the peripheral blood of five healthy subjects. LMIF activity could not be attributed to the function of T cells, B enriched cells, or monocytes acting alone, or to a combination of B enriched cells and monocytes. The LMIF response was the result of a collaborative event that occurred between T cells and B enriched cells, or between T cells and monocytes.