de Wolf J T, Hendriks D W, Esselink M T, Halie M R, Vellenga E
Department of Medicine, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Br J Haematol. 1994 Oct;88(2):242-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1994.tb05013.x.
Human recombinant interleukin-1 (IL-1) was studied for its effects on the erythroid progenitors from normal subjects and from patients with polycythaemia vera (PV). No supportive effect of IL-1 was noticed on the normal, erythropoietin (Epo) dependent, erythroid burst-forming unit (BFU-E) using peripheral blood or bone marrow. In contrast, the Epo-independent BFU-E from peripheral blood of PV patients could be stimulated significantly. This enhancing effect of IL-1 was not only observed with unsorted but also with sorted CD34+ cells. In addition, it was shown that IL-1 indirectly stimulated the Epo-independent BFU-E because anti-GM-CSF could abrogate the supportive effects of IL-1. In contrast to the Epo-independent BFU-E, the Epo-dependent erythroid colony formation from PV patients could not be augmented by IL-1. Finally, we studied the effects of IL-4 on the Epo-independent BFU-E, because IL-4 can affect the erythroid colony formation and modulate the effects of IL-1. IL-4 suppressed the Epo-independent BFU-E. This effect could be counteracted by the addition of IL-1 to the culture medium. However, the suppressive effect of IL-4 was not related to a decline in spontaneous release of IL-1, because an anti-IL-1 antibody did not modify the spontaneous erythroid colony formation. These data indicate that IL-1 and IL-4 exert separate influences on the Epo-independent erythroid colony formation in PV.
