Induction of various HLA class II molecules in a human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line.

The colonic carcinoma cell line HT-29 had no constitutive expression of HLA class II molecules. Gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) induced expression of HLA class II molecules in a dose-dependent manner with 100 U/ml as an optimal dose. The expression of HLA-DR, HLA-DP, and HLA-DQ molecules seemed to follow different kinetics. While DR and DP molecules were maximally induced after 2 days, DQ molecules appeared later with maximum percentage positive cells after 8 days. Treatment with a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor (indomethacin) neither induced class II expression nor altered the dose-response curve for IFN-gamma; this indicated that possible endogenous production of prostaglandins in this cell line did not interfere with its class II expression. The lectins phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), pokeweed mitogen (PWM), and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) did not induce class II expression.