Modulation of glomerular mesangial cell growth and prostaglandin release by T-lymphocyte products

Abstract

Mesangio-proliferative and crescentic forms of glomerulonephritis (GN) are eharacterised by an initial influx of T-lymphocytes into the glomerulus [1]. This was shown not only for animal models of GN, but also for human GN. The participating lymphocytes mainly represent activated T-helper cells. A recent investigation from our laboratory showed that recombinant T-lymphocyte factors are able to induce class II major histocompatibility antigens in intrinsic rat mesangial cells (MC) [3]. In this study we show that there are specific interactions between growing mesangial cells and syngeueic, activated T-lymphocytes in co-culture, which could be reproduced by recombinant interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) not only with mouse but also with human MC. These data indicate a direct interaction of T-lymphocytes with intrinsic tissue cells, such as MC, which may be relevant for organ specific, chronic inflammatory disorders.