Interleukin 1α acts as an autocrine growth factor for RPMI1788, an Epstein‐Barr virus‐transformed human B cell line

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Abstract
The Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B cell line RPMI 1788 constitutively produces autocrine growth factors with molecular masses of 17 kDa, 24 kDa and 35 kDa. All three molecular forms were completely neutralized with anti-interleukin (IL) lα anti-serum. Although IL1α and IL1β mRNA were both equally detectable by Northern blotting, no IL 1β activity was found in partially purified RPMI 1788 supernatant. The growth of low density-seeded RPMI 1788 cells is specifically dependent on the presence of either IL1α or IL1β. Since no other cytokine was found to be capable of sustaining proliferation, this cell line is suitable for the identification and quantification of IL1, even in the presence of other cytokines.