Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Ex vivo Expansion of Tumor-reactive T Cells by Means of Bryostatin 1/Ionomycin and the Common Gamma Chain Cytokines Formulation
07:20

Ex vivo Expansion of Tumor-reactive T Cells by Means of Bryostatin 1/Ionomycin and the Common Gamma Chain Cytokines Formulation

Published on: January 15, 2011

IL-4 (B cell stimulatory factor 1) exhibits thymocyte growth factor activity in the presence of IL-2

S R Carding1, K Bottomly

  • 1Department of Pathology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New Haven, CT 06510.

Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)
|March 1, 1988
PubMed

The proliferative activity of thymocytes cultured with IL-2 and submitogenic concentrations of PHA is increased by 3- to 10-fold in the presence of IL-4. In contrast, IL-4 alone is unable to induce proliferative activity in thymocyte cultures and its synergistic activity is only apparent to concentrations of IL-2 above 1 U/ml. The costimulatory activity of IL-4 is abrogated by the monoclonal anti-IL-4 antibody 11B11. Furthermore, potentiation of the IL-2-mediated thymocyte proliferation is not seen with IL-1, IL-3, IFN-gamma, and granulocyte-macrophage CSF. Thymocytes are at least as responsive to IL-4 as B cells and the IL-4 costimulatory activity in fractionated thymocytes appears to be restricted mainly to the Lyt-2+/L3T4- population. In contrast, purified resting mature T cells do not respond to IL-4 plus IL-2, although they did proliferate in response to IL-4 in combination with PMA. These findings indicate that thymocytes and mature T cells are responsive to the costimulatory activity of IL-4 under quite different conditions, and that IL-4 may play an important role in thymocyte maturation in the thymus.

More Related Videos

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets07:12

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets

Published on: April 16, 2015

In Vitro Differentiation of Mouse Granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating Factor (GM-CSF)-producing T Helper (THGM) Cells10:27

In Vitro Differentiation of Mouse Granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating Factor (GM-CSF)-producing T Helper (THGM) Cells

Published on: September 10, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells01:01

Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

All blood and immune cells are produced from the multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by the process of hematopoiesis. However, they all have a limited life span. In addition, many are depleted in immune surveillance or combatting an injury or infection. This makes blood one of the most regenerative tissues. Hematopoiesis helps replenish these blood and immune cells, restoring the body's normal functioning. However, overproduction of blood and immune cells can make them cancerous or...
TGF - β Signaling Pathway01:16

TGF - β Signaling Pathway

The TGF-β signaling pathway regulates cell growth, differentiation, adhesion, motility, and development. TGF-β ligands that induce TGF-β signaling are synthesized in their latent form. Several proteases or cell surface receptors such as integrins act upon the latent form, releasing the active ligand. There are three types of mammalian TGF-βs: (TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3) that bind as homodimers or heterodimers to TGF-β receptors. The TGF-β receptors are of three kinds RI, RII, and RIII. The RI...
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming01:29

Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming

Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this...
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection01:22

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
T Cell Types and Functions01:24

T Cell Types and Functions

When T cells with CD4 markers are activated, they give rise to two types of effector cells: helper T cells and regulatory T cells. Meanwhile, T cells with CD8 markers differentiate into effector cytotoxic T cells. The differentiation of CD4 T cells into helper T cell subsets, such as Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, is dependent on the antigen type, antigen-presenting cell, and regulatory cytokines.
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
B Cell Activation and Differentiation01:24

B Cell Activation and Differentiation

The adaptive immune response, a sophisticated defense mechanism, relies on the activation and differentiation of B lymphocytes, or B cells. These processes enable our bodies to mount a tailored response against specific pathogens such as bacteria, free virus particles, toxins, and parasites.
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...