Interaction of vasoactive intestinal peptide with mouse lymphocytes: specific binding and the modulation of mitogen responses.

Binding of radioiodinated vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) to mouse lymphocytes has been investigated. Specific cell binding of 125I-VIP was demonstrated with lymphocytes from mesenteric lymph nodes, subcutaneous lymph nodes, spleen, and Peyer's patches. The binding of VIP by these cells was accounted for by VIP binding sites upon T cells rather than non-T cells. In the presence of VIP, the in vitro response of lymphocytes to the T cell mitogens concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion, whereas that to the B cell mitogen lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was not. There was a close correlation between the potency of VIP and some structurally related peptides for inhibition of 125I-VIP binding and the effect of those peptides on T cell mitogen responses. These observations demonstrate that mouse T lymphocytes have specific VIP receptors and that VIP can modulate the response of T cells to mitogenic stimulation. VIP may be an important immunoregulatory molecule, and may be implicated in the regulation of T cell function in mucosal tissues innervated by VIP-containing neurons.