Interleukin 4 induces membrane Thy-1 expression on normal murine B cells.

Thy-1, a cell-surface glycoprotein of undetermined function, is expressed in relatively large amounts on mouse thymocytes, peripheral T cells, and neurons. It is widely used as a marker to distinguish peripheral T cells from B cells in mice. We show here that, in five distinct mouse strains, recombinant interleukin 4 (IL-4/B-cell stimulatory factor 1) strikingly induces membrane expression of Thy-1 on the vast majority of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated normal murine B cells. Thy-1+ B cells are precursors for immunoglobulin-secreting cells. RNA blot analysis indicates that B cells express a Thy-1 mRNA of 1.8 kilobases, the same size as that found in T cells. Cell mixing experiments show that only cells derived from Thy-1.2+ donors express Thy-1.2, indicating that B cells expressing Thy-1 have not passively absorbed the glycoprotein from another cell source. Recombinant interferon-gamma inhibits Thy-1 induction by B cells stimulated with LPS and IL-4. Thy-1 is also induced on B cells that have been stimulated as a result of the specific activation of an IL-4-producing T-helper clone. Anti-IL-4 monoclonal antibody inhibits the induction of B-cell Thy-1 in this T-cell-B-cell interaction.