Inducible lymphokines of T cell tumors

T lymphocytes comprise a major class of lymphocytes and are themselves functionally heterogeneous. Some T lymphocyte functions are mediated by soluble products called lymphokines. Different lymphokines promote the activation, growth and differentiation of T and B lymphocytes, macrophages, and hemopoietic cells. Lymphokine production is associated with, but not limited to, helper T cells, and usually follows antigenic or mitogenic stimulation. The recognition that some lymphokines are produced after stimulation of neoplastic T cells has proved advantageous in the study of these molecules. T cell tumors are monoclonal, grow easily in vitro, and may produce fewer lymphokines than normal T cells. Thus, the purification and biochemical and biological characterization of some lymphokines have been facilitated by the availability of these tumors. More recently, T cell tumors have been used for evaluating the molecular structure of lymphokine-encoding genes. They have also provided information relevant to our understanding of the nature of T cell neoplasia.