OKT3-induced cytokine mRNA expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells measured by polymerase chain reaction.

The kinetic profile of cytokine gene expression in normal human peripheral mononuclear cells (MNC) activated by an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody was studied. The presence or absence of 10 different cytokine mRNA were measured in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assisted mRNA amplification assay. After 2 h of stimulation the mRNA for interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-3 (IL-3), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were detectable and remained present during the whole time period studied (22 h). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were detected after 4 h, while interleukin-10 (IL-10) mRNA did not appear until after 7 h; they all remained expressed at 22 h. A transient expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4) mRNA was observed between 4 and 7 h of stimulation. No gene expression of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) was detected at any time. These results show that anti-CD3 stimulation of MNC leads to a rapid sequential induction of different cytokine mRNA, some with a very transient expression.