Effects of interferon-alpha on the expression of a XXXX in normal @entity1 .

@entity1 @entity19 @entity1252 @entity379 @entity792 @entity3027
Interferon ( @entity3027 ) has extensive immunoregulatory effects but its role in @entity1252 ( @entity1252 ) remains obscure. The observations that a high proportion of @entity1 with active @entity1252 have increased @entity3027 levels in their sera, and that @entity3027 injected to lupus-prone @entity19 aggrevates their disease, led us to examine the effects of @entity3027 on the production of 16/6--a high frequency idiotype of monoclonal anti-DNA antibodies produced by @entity1 - @entity1 hybridomas derived from @entity1252 @entity1 . Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy donors or of @entity1 with @entity1252 were incubated with @entity3027 and pokeweed mitogen (PWM). Seven-day supernatants were assayed for total IgM, for IgM with 16/6 idiotype, and for IgM anti-DNA activity. PWM-stimulated PBMC of all healthy donors examined produced the 16/6 idiotype (mean 2.5 ng/ml). A significant increase of 16/6 in normals (above the level with PWM alone) was noted with 10-100 u/ml of @entity3027 but not with 500 u/ml. In 3/10 normals the addition of @entity3027 resulted in detectable anti-DNA activity. The @entity3027 -induced increase in 16/6 idiotype was significantly more than the increase in IgM (335% vs 47% above baseline, with 10 u/ml of @entity3027 ). These effects of @entity3027 could not be demonstrated in the absence of PWM nor in T-cell-depleted preparations. Recombinant @entity379 had no augmenting effect on 16/6 production. Three @entity1252 @entity1 in remission had elevated levels of 16/6 in their PBMC supernatant (15-200 ng/ml) which could not be further augmented by @entity3027 . Thus, we have demonstrated the potential of PWM-stimulated normal lymphocytes to generate a "lupus" idiotype and shown that production of this idiotype requires T cells and is preferentially enhanced by @entity3027 . Further studies of the effects of @entity3027 on the expression of anti-DNA antibodies may clarify a postulated role of @entity3027 in @entity792 .
