Effect of interleukin-11 on cycling status and clonogenic maturation of
fetal and adult hematopoietic progenitors
KR Schibler, YC Yang and RD Christensen
Division of Human Development and Aging, University of Utah, School of
Medicine, Salt Lake City 84132.
A recently cloned human cytokine, interleukin-11 (IL-11), has functional
similarities to IL-6. We tested the hypothesis that the hematopoietic
actions of IL-11 in vitro also resemble those of IL-6. The effect of IL-11
on the cell cycle status of fetal and adult hematopoietic progenitors was
assessed using serum-free incubations followed by tritiated thymidine
suicide studies. Its effect on clonogenic maturation was assessed by
including IL-11, either as a single agent or with subplateau or plateau
concentrations of other recombinant cytokines, in cultures that contained
neutralizing monoclonal antibodies directed against relevant growth
factors. Similar to IL-6, IL-11 resulted in accelerated cycling of fetal
colony-forming units-mixed (CFU-MIX), CFU-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM),
and erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-E). This effect was additive to that
of submaximal, but not to plateau, concentrations of IL-6. However, no
effect of IL-11 was observed on cycling status of adult progenitors. As a
single agent, IL-11 failed to support clonal maturation of either fetal or
adult progenitors. IL-11 was additive to GM-CSF in supporting clonal
maturation of CFU-GM from adult marrow but not from fetal blood. We
conclude that the in vitro hematopoietic actions of IL-11 on cell cycle
status of hematopoietic progenitors resemble those of IL-6. However, unlike
IL-6, IL-11 as a single agent failed to support clonal maturation of fetal
CFU-GM, BFU-E, and CFU-MIX.
Volume 80,
Issue 4,
pp. 900-903,
08/15/1992
Copyright © 1992 by The American Society of Hematology
