Characterization of a soluble suppressor of human B cell immunoglobulin biosynthesis produced by a continuous human suppressor T cell line.

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Abstract
A human suppressor T cell maintained in long-term culture with conditioned medium containing interleukin 2 elaborates a suppressor factor(s) that specifically inhibits human polyclonal B cell Ig biosynthesis. This soluble immune suppressor supernate of Ig production (CTC-SISS-B) shares a number of features with the previously described suppressive mediator elaborated by concanavalin A-activated human peripheral T cells (SISS-B), including the following: the inhibition by a noncytotoxic mechanism, the suppression of Ig biosynthesis through direct action on the B cell or indirect action via the monocyte, the loss of inhibition in the presence of the monosaccharide L-rhamnose, the elaboration by cells irradiated with 500 or 2000 rad, and MW of 60,000-90,000. The suppression by this mediator appears to be specific for B cell Ig production; CTC-SISS-B has no effect on T cell proliferation to mitogens, antigens and allogeneic cells, or on T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. One possible mechanism of suppressor T cell inhibition of human Ig production apparently is via the generation of a lectin-like suppressor lymphokine that interacts with defined saccharide determinants on the cell surface of the B cell or monocyte.