Macrophage-activating factors from different T cell clones induce distinct macrophage functions.

The data reported in this paper are the first demonstration that different T cell clones (PC-AKR-CI 96, clone 96; PK 7.1.2 E8, clone 7.1.2 E8) secrete different macrophage-activating factors (MAF) that induce distinct macrophage activities. Incubation of resident murine macrophages with MAF 7.1.2 E8 increased RNA, protein, and glycoprotein synthesis, hexosemonophosphate shunt (HMPS) activity, release of oxygen metabolites (O-2, H2O2), pinocytosis, phagocytosis, and tumor cytostasis, whereas no effect on prostaglandin E (PGE) release, schistosomula killing, and tumor cytolysis could be observed. In contrast, MAF 96 increased glycoprotein synthesis, HMPS activity, release of oxygen metabolites and PGE, schistosomula killing, and tumor cytostasis and cytolysis, whereas RNA and protein synthesis and pinocytosis were decreased and phagocytosis remained unaffected. Thus, MAF from both T cell clones share some macrophage-activating properties but differ in others. Most importantly, both MAF could be differentiated serologically by a rabbit anti-lymphokine antiserum that selectively inhibited MAF 96 but not MAF 7.1.2 E8 activity. At optimal concentrations, MAF 96 and 7.1.2 E8 were active in the absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) whereas LPS enhanced the activity of suboptimal doses of MAF 96 but not of MAF 7.1.2 E8. These data are discussed with respect to the possibility that the functional dichotomy of T cell clones might reflect different activities of normal T cell subpopulations.