Abstract
Infection of mice with Mycobacterium bovis BCG sensitizes them for immune induction of interferon (IFN-γ by specific antigen. These mice were found also to respond to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and concanavalin A (Con A) with high level production of IFN-γ in the circulation, which was not observed in control mice. In this study, we compared the IFN-γ response to LPS with that to Con A in an attempt to clarify the cellular mechanisms responsible for in vivo LPS-induced IFN-γ production. Consequently, (i) the responses to LPS and Con A differed in the kinetics, that to LPS having a longer lag period, (ii) Spleen cells taken from infected mice produced little IFN-γ in response to LPS, but they showed a higher IFN-γ response to Con A than those from control mice, (iii) By treating infected mice with immunosuppressive drugs or antibodies to T and natural killer cells before challenge with the inducers, it was indicated that different cellular systems are involved in the IFN-γ responses to LPS and to Con A.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.