Novel interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptor appears to mediate IL-2-induced activation of natural killer cells.

Abstract

Anti-Tac effectively blocked the IL-2-induced proliferative response in these cells, but failed to alter the enhancement of cytotoxicity. Analysis of NK cytoplasmic RNA isolated at various time points after IL-2 stimulation revealed the rapid induction of c-myb and Tac gene expression that was also not inhibited by the anti-Tac antibody. These findings suggest that IL-2 binding to the p70 receptor constitutively expressed on the surface of NK cells may mediate both the development of increased cytolytic activity and rapid changes in gene expression. The activation of the Tac gene may in turn permit the formation of the high affinity IL-2 receptor complex (comprised of at least the Tac and p70 proteins) that appears to transduce the requisite signals involved in NK cell proliferation.

Characterization of cytokine differential induction of STAT complexes in primary human T and NK cells

“…Primary NK and T cells have been reported to express the intermediate IL-2 receptors composed of the IL-2R␤ and common ␥-chain, ␥c [5,71,75]. These subunits also are used as IL-15 receptor components while the c␥ chain is shared by the IL-4 and IL-7 receptors [73].…”

Natural Killer Cell Activity in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

“…Several studies have shown that IL-2-induced y-IFN can be inhibited by the anti-IL-2 receptor antibody anti-Tac (anti-CD25), yet anti-Tac does not seem to affect cytotoxicity (26,(35)(36)(37). By contrast, van de Griend et al (38) found that IL-2 enhancement was reduced by the addition ofanti-Tac.…”

“…This inhibition could be partially reversed if exogenous 1L-2 was added to the media at the time of assay. Although the actual mechanism of inhibition is not known, the reversal may be due to the IL-2 molecule having a greater affinity for the receptor than anti-CD25 (26) or the presence of two different receptors (26,(34)(35)(36)(37). Our findings that preincubation of NK cells with anti-CD25 inhibits spontaneous NK activity of adult and VLBWI and that this inhibition can partially be reversed by adding IL-2 suggest that IL-2 is an important component of the spontaneous NK cytolytic process.…”

“…Decreased lymphokine production and responsiveness to lymphokines have been suggested as contributing to this reduced activity (9,19,(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38). Ueno et al (24) and Uksila et al (25) have also demonstrated lymphokine enhancement of NK activity in premature infants.…”

Study of IL-2 receptor expression after chemoimmunotherapy in patients treated for metastatic malignant melanoma

“…By contrast, the non-covalent association of the two chains leads to the generation of an IL-2R complex with high affinity binding properties (kD = 5-lO pM) [6], Cellular responses to IL-2, including ligand intemalization. are mediated by both high and intermediate affinity receptors, and appear to require 3 chain participation [7][8][9][10].…”