Induction of responsiveness to IL 2 in Con A-stimulated rat lymphoid cells requires synergistic action of IL 1 and the accessory cell membrane.
Rat spleen or lymph node cells stimulated with Con A and cultured at a low density of 1 x 10(5) cells per ml proliferated in response to IL 2-containing supernatants and thus expressed receptors for IL 2. Cells depleted of accessory cells either by passage over a glassbead-column or by treatment with the lysosomotropic agent leucine methyl ester (Leu-OMe) did not proliferate in response to IL 2-containing supernatants. The diminished proliferative response after adherent cell depletion could be reconstituted by the addition of peritoneal exudate cells (PEC). Reconstitution could also be achieved by synergistic action of IL 1 and paraformaldehyde-fixed peritoneal exudate cells, indicating an important role for the accessory cell membrane in the induction of IL 2-mediated proliferation.