Synergistic interaction between interleukin 4 and anti-Bp50 (CDw40) revealed in a novel B cell restimulation assay

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Abstract
Highly purified resting B lymphocytes stimulated for 3 days to high‐rate DNA synthesis by a synergistic combination of phorbol dibutyrate and ionomycin soon returned to quiescence once those signals had been removed. The maintenance of DNA synthesis in such cultures was found to provide a sensitive assay for revealing the factors that interact with cycling B cells. Whereas several activities ‐ namely, interleukin 4, anti‐Bp50 and a low molecular weight B cell growth factor ‐ were, by themselves, capable of prolonging DNA synthesis over a further day or so, no single factor was capable of sustaining the replication cycle out to day 6 of culture. By contrast, certain combinations of activities displayed significant synergy in the restimulation assay. The most striking observed was that between interleukin 4 and anti‐Bp50 where, by day 6, their combined effect on maintaining DNA synthesis in 3‐day stimulated cells was the same as having kept phorbol dibutyrate and ionomycin in the culture system. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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