Growth factors and receptors of lymphocytes.

To understand molecular mechanisms of clonal expansion of lymphocytes we have isolated cDNA clones for two lymphokines, interleukins (IL) 4 and 5 that induce proliferation and maturation of B-lymphocytes. Structures of IL-4 and IL-5 revealed a remote homology with other lymphokines such as IL-3 and gamma-interferon. IL-4 and IL-5 were shown to affect not only B-lymphocytes but also T-lymphocytes and several other cells derived from bone marrow stem cells. We have also studied the structure and function of the IL-2 receptor: our focus was the molecular basis for the high and low affinity states of the receptor encoded by the identical cDNA. We propose the affinity conversion model that the high-affinity state of the IL-2 receptor is a ternary complex of IL-2, the IL-2 receptor, and a postulated "converter protein", which is fewer in number than the receptors.