Lymphokine-induced macrophage resistance to infection with Leishmania major

Resistance to infection is an effector activity of macrophages that is induced by the cooperation of several molecularly distinct factors in LK: IFN and another nonIFN macrophage activation factor. Unlike many other effector activities of activated macrophages, signal sequence is not critical for induction of resistance to infection. Nor is the activation of macrophages for resistance to infection dependent upon the presence of T lymphocytes in the culture vessel: T cell-depleted peritoneal cell cultures and bone marrow-derived macrophages both develop resistance to infection with L. major in the presence of LK that contains IFN. Further characterization of this activity of activated macrophages will include the identification of LK that cooperate with IFN for induction of resistance to infection, and characterization of the LK-induced changes in macrophage function that mediate this resistant state.