Soluble products spontaneously secreted by murine nuclear erythroid cells directly suppress the proliferation of activated B-lymphocytes induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharides. Blocking of the transforming growth factor-13 synthesis in nuclear erythroid cells by antisense oligonucleotides binding mRNA and blocking of this factor's functional activity by neutralizing antibodies were associated with a marked decrease in suppressor activity of the medium conditioned by nuclear erythroid cells.
Key Words: erythroblast; natural immunosuppression; transforming growth factor-f~Nuclei-containing erythroid cells (NEC) suppress humoral immune response induced by both thymusdependent and thymus-independent antigens [2][3][4]. This immunoregulatory effect of NEC is mediated, at least partially, by secretion of soluble suppressor factors [10]. We tried to prove that transforming growth factor-13 (TGF-~) is one of such factors.
MATERIALS AND METHODS(CBA• F 1 (CBF1, H-2VH-2 b) mice aged 4-8 months from Breeding Center of Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences were used.Splenic erythropoiesis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of phenylhydrazine (1.2 mg/ml, Sigma) as described previously [2,3,10]. At least 60% of suspended cells of erythropoietic spleen were NEC [3,10]. NEC were separated from other cells as described elsewhere [1]: blast cells were isolated by centrifugation in a Percoll density gradient (1.075 g/ liter), treated with anti-Thy 1.2 monoclonal antiInstitute of Clinical Immunology, Siberian Division of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Novosibirsk bodies (clone 5a-8, IgG2b, ascites dilution 1:500, Cedaflane), macrophages, and T-and B-lymphocytes were removed by adhesion to plastic coated with anti-immunoglobulin antibodies, and the cells that failed to adhere to the plastic were treated with leucyl-methyl ether (Fluka) toxic for large granular lymphocytes and macrophages [14]. Cell viability was assessed by the trypan blue exclusion test. Analysis of cell smears stained by the Nocht--Maksimov method showed that at least 95% of the resultant cell population were basophilic NEC.For preparing the supernatant, NEC were cultured in serum-free RPMI-1640 medium with 20 mM HEPES, 2 g/iitcr NaHCO3, 4 mM L-glutamine, and antibiotics (all reagents from Sigma) in a humidified atmosphere with 5% CO 2. After 24 h, the culture medium was collected by centrifugation, sterilized by fdtration through 0.22 ~t fdter, and stored at -20~ Lymphocytes were cultured in RPMI-1640 with 2 g/liter NaHCO3, 20 mM HEPES, 2 mM L-glutamine, 5x 10 -s M 2-mercaptoethanol, antibiotics, and 7% fetal calf serum in humidified atmosphere with 5% CO 2.For preparing activated B-lymphocytes, 10 ml of splenocyte suspension (5 x 106 cells/ml) was cultured