Cyclic GMP as the second messenger in helper cell requirement for gamma-interferon production

Cyclic GMP and activators (acetylcholine, E. coli heat-stable toxin) of guanylate cyclase were capable of completely replacing the helper cell or interleukin 2 requirement for gamma-interferon (IFN gamma) production by Lyt-1-,2+ cells from C57BL/6 mouse spleen cells. The cyclic GMP help was independent of DNA synthesis or proliferation in the IFN gamma-producing cells, because cyclic GMP reversed mitomycin C blockage of IFN gamma production but did not reverse the inhibition of DNA synthesis. Thus, the findings presented here are unrelated to the question of the second messenger role of cyclic GMP in the activation of lymphocytes for DNA synthesis and cellular proliferation. The cyclic GMP help for IFN gamma production was antagonized by cyclic AMP and inducers (isoproterenol) of adenylate cyclase.