| First Author | Andoh A | Year | 2000 |
| Journal | Immunol Lett | Volume | 73 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 35-41 |
| PubMed ID | 10963809 | Mgi Jnum | J:110473 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3640267 | Doi | 10.1016/s0165-2478(00)00202-9 |
| Citation | Andoh A, et al. (2000) Absence of interleukin-4 enhances germinal center reaction in secondary immune response. Immunol Lett 73(1):35-41 |
| abstractText | The germinal center (GC) is a compartment for B cell differentiation and proliferation. Interleukin (IL)-4 has been considered essential for GC functioning. To define the role of IL-4 in GC reaction, immunohistology of draining lymph nodes (LNs) of IL-4 gene-targeted (IL-4(-/-)) mice was performed during secondary immune response. IL-4(-/-) mice were immunized with ovalbumin emulsified in Freund' complete adjuvant. Final antigen challenge was done 4 weeks later. IL-4(-/-) mice had a higher production of IgG2a and IgG2b and a lower production of IgG1 than those in wild-type (WT) mice. In comparison with WT mice, LNs of IL-4(-/-) mice on days 4 and 7 after final antigen challenge were larger and contained a markedly greater number of GCs, which showed marked size variations with a large number of small GCs and a small number of markedly large GCs. By day 14, the number of GCs decreased to the same level as that in WT mice. However, the LN size in IL-4(-/-) mice was still larger than that in WT mice due to the presence of markedly large GCs. Although well-developed complement receptor(+) follicular dendritic cell (FDC) networks were present in GCs of IL-4(-/-) mice, no FDCs of mature phenotype (CD23(+)) were observed in many of the small GCs. In conclusion, the absence of IL-4 enhanced GC reaction and specific antibody response of Th1-type. IL-4 may play an important role in inducing the appropriate magnitude of humoral immune response. |
