Characterisation of colony-stimulating activity in the avian T cell-derived factor, Salmonella enteritidis-immune lymphokine.

This investigation was designed to characterise the specific cytokine activity from the conditioned medium of concanavalin A-stimulated avian T cells derived from Salmonella enteritidis-immune chickens, S enteritidis-immune lymphokine (ILK). Studies were designed to determine first, whether colony-stimulating activity was present in ILK, second, the type(s) of colonies from the bone marrow that were supported in vitro by the potential colony-stimulating factors in ILK and, third, whether colony-stimulating activity was present in serum from chicks treated with ILK and challenged with S enteritidis, and to use physicochemical treatment as a means of identifying the potential colony-stimulating factor(s) in ILK. Both ILK alone and serum from chicks treated with ILK and challenged with S enteritidis caused significant increases in the number of colony-forming units (CFU) from the bone marrow in vitro. After 10 days of incubation, ILK alone supported the in vitro growth of granulocytic bone marrow colonies. The colony-stimulating activity from serum derived from chicks treated with ILK and challenged with S enteritidis peaked two hours after the challenge. When ILK was either heated at 100 degrees C or treated with trypsin or acid and then injected into chicks, all the chicks responded with significant increases in circulating polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs). However, when assayed for in vitro colony-stimulating activity, only trypsinisation destroyed the activity in ILK. The results indicate that a colony-stimulating factor which preferentially supported the growth of granulocytic bone marrow colonies was present in ILK and that the factor was stable to heat and acid but sensitive to trypsin.