Role of Ia antigens and interleukin 1 in T-cell proliferation to phytohemagglutinin.

Highly purified human T cells were obtained by a four-step purification procedure which included: removal of plastic adherent cells, rosetting with sheep red cells, passage over nylon-wool columns, and treatment with mouse monoclonal antibodies to human Ia antigens and complement. The resulting T cells did not proliferate to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Purified human interleukin 1 (IL-1) could not substitute for accessory cells in supporting a PHA response. Reconstitution with as little as 0.03% adherent cells resulted in a proliferative response to PHA. T-Cell proliferation to PHA was supported by monocytes, by Ia+ Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid B-cells lines, and by Ia- cultured human dermal fibroblasts but not by Ia-containing liposomes. Addition of anti-Ia antibodies to monocyte-containing cultures did not inhibit the T-cell proliferative response to PHA. These results suggest that Ia antigen expression by accessory cells is neither necessary nor sufficient to support T-cell proliferation to PHA and that IL-1 is not sufficient to support the proliferation of T cells to PHA.