Early mitogen-induced metabolic events essential to proliferation of human T lymphocytes: dependence of specific events on the influence of adherent accessory cells.

Adherent accessory cells (AC) are required for the proliferative response of T lymphocytes to antigens and various mitogens. A current model of AC-T cell cooperation is that commitment to growth of mitogen activated T lymphocytes occurs via sequential action of IL 1 and IL 2. Initial mitogen action on T lymphocytes in the presence of AC is followed by a sequence of metabolic changes which culminate in DNA replication and mitosis. Many of these early events are critical to DNA replication. We studied several of these mitogen-induced events in experiments designed to define the specific influence of AC on T cell metabolism before initiation of DNA replication. By using human peripheral T lymphocytes depleted of AC to the extent that the proliferative response is essentially ablated, we found that the sequence of early events is divided into two phases: an early activated state in which certain events are stimulated directly by mitogen and independently of AC, and an AC-dependent state in which other events occur in mitogen-treated lymphocytes only in the presence of the numbers of AC necessary to support the proliferative response. We partially support the proliferative response. We partially characterized the nature of the metabolic activation that pulse neuraminidase-galactose oxidase treatment induces in lymphocytes in the presence and functional absence of AC. Stimulated uptake of [3H] uridine and [3H]-leucine into cellular precursor pools and incorporation into macromolecules apparently requires the presence of AC, but stimulated influx of both [3H]3-O-methyl glucose and [3H]alpha-amino isobutyric acid are independent of the presence of AC. These data suggest that stimulated influx of glucose and a certain class of essential amino acids are events of the early activated state, whereas increased RNA and protein synthesis are events of the AC-dependent state. All of these events are critical to the T cell's commitment of DNA replication and mitosis. The early activated state is consistent with AC-T cell cooperation via IL 2. It is possible that IL 2 mediates passage of IL 2 receptor-bearing T cells from the early activated state to the AC-dependent state, which then leads directly to DNA replication and mitosis.