Histamine-induced secretion of lymphocyte chemoattractant factor from CD8+ T cells is independent of transcription and translation. Evidence for constitutive protein synthesis and storage.

We have reported previously that histamine induces the release of the CD4+ cell-specific lymphocyte chemoattractant factor (LCF) into the culture supernatants of CD8+ cells between 1 and 4 h following stimulation. To determine the mechanism of histamine-induced secretion of LCF, we evaluated the effects of inhibitors of gene transcription and translation on LCF production, and determined the effects of histamine stimulation on LCF mRNA induction and stability. The histamine-induced secretion of LCF from CD8+ cells was not associated with de novo synthesis of protein, nor did histamine have an effect on the induction or stability of LCF mRNA. Biologically active LCF was found in cell lysates of unstimulated CD8+ but not CD4+ T cells; however, LCF mRNA was detected at similar levels in both cell types. The only detectable lymphocyte chemoattractant present in unstimulated cells was LCF, and histamine induced the secretion of LCF, but no other lymphocyte chemoattractant activities, within 4 h. These studies demonstrate that histamine can act as a secretagogue for the protein LCF, which is constitutively synthesized and present in a biologically active form in CD8+ T cells. The rapid appearance of LCF induced by histamine may represent a mechanism for recruitment and activation for CD4+ cells in diseases such as asthma.