RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Correction of defective IL 3 responses of T lymphocytes from autoimmune mice. JF The Journal of Immunology JO J. Immunol. FD American Association of Immunologists SP 3464 OP 3468 VO 137 IS 11 A1 MacNeil, D A1 Krystal, G A1 Fairhurst, M A1 Waterfield, J D YR 1986 UL http://www.jimmunol.org/content/137/11/3464.abstract AB MRL-+ and MRL-lpr congenic mice differ by the presence and expression of the homozygous recessive lymphoproliferation (lpr) gene. One manifestation of this gene is a massive T cell proliferation that results in a generalized lymphadenopathy in older animals. Interleukin 3 (IL 3), a recently described lymphokine, has been shown to influence lymphocyte differentiation. It was possible that abberrant IL 3 production was the mechanism responsible for the lpr controlled lymphadenopathy. Consequently, in this paper we tested the MRL congenic mice for their ability to produce IL 3. We report that the T lymphocytes from MRL-+ and MRL-lpr could neither respond to pokeweed mitogen in the induction of proliferation nor produce IL 3. Moreover, IL 3 was not produced constitutively nor could be induced at any time period up to 5 days in vitro. This hyporesponsiveness was shown to be controlled at the accessory cell level. Addition of T cell-depleted peritoneal exudate cells from normal major histocompatibility complex (MHC) compatible mice was able to restore the ability to secrete IL 3 in response to pokeweed mitogen in MRL-+ and young MRL-lpr mice. The defect in the accessory cells could be overridden by two means: the incorporation of phorbol myristate acetate in the induction system and preincubation of the cells in tissue culture.