RESPONSES OF HUMAN FETAL SPLENOCYTES AND THYMOCYTES TO INTERLEUKIN-2: LAK ACTIVITY AND PROLIFERATION

Using cytotoxicity and thymidine uptake assays, we investigated the effects of human recombinant in-terleukin-2 (rIL-2) on the induction of lympholine-activated killer (LAK) activity and cellular proliferation in splenocytes and thymocytes from human fetuses (18-22 weeks). We observed that fetal splenocytes and thymocytes incubated with low doses of rIL-2 (10-100 U ml) developed broad antitumor activity (LAK activity) although the kinetics and magnitudes of the responses were different. It indicated the LAK precursors are present in fetal spleen and thymus. Further, rIL-2 induced a strong proliferative response in splenocytes, but not in thymocytes. On the basis of the findings, we conclude that the responses of fetal splenocytes and thymocytes to IL-2 are different.