1984 年 28 巻 9 号 p. 1031-1040
IFNγ production in cultures of spleen cells obtained from mice sensitized with TH69, a live Streptococcus faecalis preparation, was examined to determine how macrophages participate. It was demonstrated that sensitized spleen macrophages participated in enhanced IFNγ production by T cells at an early stage (0-6hr) of incubation, and that this production is mainly dependent on Ia-bearing macrophages. In the reconstitution experiments where different combinations of spleen macrophages and T cells obtained from mice sensitized with TH69, OK-432, and BCG were used, T cells required that the identity between the sensitizing organisms in vivo and the stimulating organisms in vitro be the same for enhanced IFNγ production while macrophages did not. Macrophage-mediated production of IFNγ appears to be genetically restricted because IFNγ was only produced in cultures where the H-2 region of macrophages and T cells matched.
Further examination revealed that for macrophages to participate in enhanced IFNγ production, first contact between cycloheximide-treated macrophages and T cells was required. Second, enhanced IFNγ production occurred when culture supernatants of macrophages obtained from sensitized spleen cells were added to T cells. However, the addition of culture supernatant obtained from sensitized peritoneal macrophages resulted in inhibition of IFNγ production.
These results clearly showed the crucial role of macrophages in enhanced IFNγ production by spleen T cells in vitro.
