Keratinocyte-derived interleukin 3.

Interleukin 3 (IL 3) initially was described as a cytokine which is produced by murine T lymphocytes and has multicolony stimulating factor (CSF) activity, activates mast cells and induces the proliferation of hematopoietic stem cell lines. In addition to T cells murine keratinocytes also produce an IL 3-like factor which according to its biological, biochemical and antigenic properties is indistinguishable from murine T cell IL 3. Moreover, by Northern blot analysis murine keratinocytes were found to express mRNA homologous to T cell IL 3 cDNA. Similarly, human keratinocytes have been shown to release an IL 3-like cytokine which also enhances the activity of natural killer cells and stimulates the release of oxygen radicals by granulocytes. However, human IL 3 mRNA could not yet be detected in human epidermal cells or epidermoid carcinoma cell lines. These findings indicate that human keratinocyte IL 3 appears to be distinct from T cell IL 3. Nevertheless, the exact nature of this cytokine remains to be clarified by sequence analysis and gene cloning. Through the production of these cytokines with IL 3-like capacity keratinocytes may participate in the regulation of the activity of different hematopoietic cells and thereby turn on early nonspecific host defense mechanisms against transformed cells and various harmful microbial organisms.