Dibutyryl guanosine cyclic monophosphate causes proliferation of interleukin-2-dependent T-cells in the presence of suboptimal levels of interleukin-2.

The effect of dibutyryl guanosine cyclic monophosphate (db-cGMP) on proliferation of an interleukin-2 (IL-2)-dependent T-cell line was investigated. Dibutyryl cGMP added to HT-2 cell cultures without IL-2 or in the presence of an optimal IL-2 concentration (60 U/ml) had no effect on proliferation. The same amount of db-cGMP (10(-5)M) added to cultures in the presence of suboptimal amounts of IL-2 (3-6 U/ml) produced significant increases in proliferation. In contrast, db-cAMP caused substantial inhibition of HT-2 cells cultured with IL-2. Similar effects were observed using human T-cell blasts produced after 72 h stimulation with phytohemagglutin. These results suggest that cyclic GMP may play a role in the cellular response of IL-2 responsive cells to IL-2.