ImmunologyJim WatsonJohn MarbrookLe Gros, Graham Stephen2008-12-102008-12-101987Thesis (PhD--Immunology)--University of Auckland, 1987.http://hdl.handle.net/2292/3221The hormones interleukin 2 (ILZ) and interleukin 3 (IL3 can stimulate the growth of immature haemopoietic cells. These hormones are synthesised by mature thymus-derived (T) Iymphocytes. The observation that the haemopoietic tissue of the bone marrow contain few T lymphocytes leads to the question of what role IL2 and IL3 have in haemopoiesis. An original finding described in this thesis was that IL3 induced a population of haemopoietic cells to synthesise IL2, IL3, IL4 and GM-CSF when stimulated with complexes of antigen and antibody. This demonstrated that there were cells in the bone marrow which synthesised hormones normally considered T lymphocyte-derived. It was possible to correlate the production of IL2, IL3, IL4 and GM-CSF by IL3-dependent cells with Ag.Ab complex- and mast cell-associated inflammatory processes. A second finding described in this thesis was that haemopoietic cell lines dependent on IL3 for growth could be stimulated to grow by IL2. A unique feature of these IL3-dependent cell lines was that they could be adapted to an IL2-dependent growth state without further differentiation occurring. Such cells provide a tool for dissecting the intracellular growth regulating pathways which are controlled by IL2 and IL3. The influence of IL2 on the development of T lymphocytes in the microenvironment of the thymus was examined. It was found that the normal programme of T lymphocyte differentiation was altered by IL2. IL2 was found to stimulate the growth of an immature class of thymocytes which expressed cytotoxic activity. These cells had the potential to participate in host immune and inflammatory responses. The haemopoietic cell responses induced by IL2 and IL3 appear to reflect the differentiation of immature cells for roles in immune responses. This indicates that IL2 and IL3 may not have a role in normal haemopoietic cell development. The hormones which normally regulate the output of cells from the thymus and bone marrow may not yet be fully defined.Scanned from print thesisenItems in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htmThesisFields of Research::320000 Medical and Health Sciences::320200 ImmunologyCopyright: The authorQ111963953