help button home button Endocrine Society Endocrinology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Postel-Vinay, M.-C.
Right arrow Articles by Dardenne, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Postel-Vinay, M.-C.
Right arrow Articles by Dardenne, M.
Endocrinology Vol. 138, No. 5 1816-1820
Copyright © 1997 by The Endocrine Society

Articles

Growth Hormone Stimulates the Proliferation of Activated Mouse T Lymphocytes1

Marie-Catherine Postel-Vinay, Valeria de Mello Coelho2, Marie-Claude Gagnerault and Mireille Dardenne

INSERM U-344, Endocrinologie Moléculaire (M.-C.P.-V., V.d.M.C.), and CNRS URA 1461 (V.d.M.C., M.-C.G., M.D.), Université Paris V, Hôpital Necker, Paris, France

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Marie-Catherine Postel-Vinay, INSERM U-344, Endocrinologie Moléculaire, Faculté de Médecine Necker Enfants Malades, 156 rue de Vaugirard, 75730 Paris Cedex 15, France.


   Abstract
Top
 Abstract
Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
A modulatory role for GH on immune function has been suggested, but hormonal effects have been difficult to demonstrate with isolated cells. We have recently shown that GH receptors are present in murine hematopoietic tissues, with a lower receptor number in T lymphocytes than in B cells or macrophages. The binding of bovine GH (bGH) to murine splenocytes is increased after T cell activation with either concanavalin A or anti-CD3 antibody. In the present study, we show that bGH is able to stimulate the proliferation of activated murine T cells. Splenocytes were stimulated with either Con A or anti-CD3 antibody; addition of the mitogen resulted in increased [3H]thymidine uptake. When added together with the mitogen to the culture medium, bGH was able to further stimulate thymidine uptake. A bell-shaped dose-response curve was observed. bGH was able to increase cell proliferation by 2.5-fold over the effect of anti-CD3 alone. The amplitude of the bGH response was greater in unfractionated splenocytes than in purified T lymphocytes or thymocytes. Splenocytes were also stimulated by lipopolysaccharide, a B cell-specific mitogen; no change in the level of bGH binding was observed during activation of B cells, and no effect of bGH on the proliferative response of splenocytes to lipopolysaccharide was detected. The GH proliferative effect on T lymphocytes is probably direct and not through locally produced insulin-like growth factor I, because insulin-like growth factor I did not affect the cell proliferation when added at concentrations ranging from 10-9-10-7 M. Ovine PRL was also able to stimulate [3H]thymidine uptake in splenocytes and thymocytes, and a synergistic effect was observed when bGH and ovine PRL were added together at 10-8 M. Our findings support the biological significance of the GH receptors identified in murine T lymphocytes and confirm the role of GH in the regulation of immune functions.


   Introduction
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
INCREASING evidence shows that GH interacts with the lymphohematopoietic system on the basis of the following arguments. 1) Positive effects of GH on T cell development, particularly in the thymus, have been observed in hypophysectomized or GH-deficient animals (1, 2, 3) and in aging animals implanted with GH-secreting tumors (4, 5) or treated with GH (6); in the latter case, these effects include increased cytokine production and proliferative responses to lectins. 2) Constitutive overexpression of GH, as observed in bovine GH (bGH) transgenic mice, leads to a marked increase in the absolute number of hematopoietic progenitor cells, especially those localized in the spleen (7). 3) Conversely, lymphoproliferation is blocked by specific antibodies to GH (8) or by antisense oligonucleotide to GH messenger RNA (9). Together, these findings lead to the suggestion that GH can influence, directly or indirectly, lymphocyte proliferation. However, conflicting results have been reported regarding the in vitro effects of GH on lymphoproliferation. Both positive (10, 11, 12, 13) and negative (14, 15, 16, 17) findings have been reported using human or murine resting or activated peripheral lymphocytes and thymocytes.

Recently, using biotinylated bGH and flow cytofluorometry, we demonstrated the presence of receptors for GH in murine hematopoietic tissues and the up-regulation of their expression on splenocytes and thymocytes after mitogen-induced T cell activation (18). In the present study, we show that bGH and PRL are able to stimulate the in vitro proliferation of lectin- or anti-CD3-activated murine T lymphocytes, confirming the biological significance of the receptors present on these cells.


   Materials and Methods
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Animals
Six- to 8-week-old male and female C57BL/6 mice were bred in our animal facilities, under specific pathogen-free conditions and according to the regulations of the European Community for the care and use of laboratory animals (19). Mice were fed regular pellets and water ad libitum and were maintained at 22 ± 1 C on a 12-h dark, 12-h light cycle, with lights on from 0700–1900 h.

Reagents and antibodies
Recombinant bGH was generously provided by Dr. William Baumbach (American Cyanamid Co., Princeton, NJ). Biosynthetic insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was obtained from Euromedex (Souffelweyersheim, France), and ovine PRL (oPRL-16) was obtained from the National Hormone Pituitary Program, NIDDK (Baltimore, MD). Anti-IGF-I and anti-IGF-I receptor antibodies (clones 82–9A and anti-IR3, respectively) were obtained from Genzyme (Paris, France). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Salmonella typhimurium was obtained from Difco (Detroit, MI), and concanavalin A was provided by Pharmacia (St. Quentin-en-Yvelines, France). Anti-CD3 mAb (clone 145.2C11, hamster IgG), provided by Dr. Lucienne Chatenoud (INSERM U-25), was purified from ascites by protein G affinity column chromatography. The anti-PRL receptor mAb (clone T1, mouse IgG1), kindly provided by Dr. Paul Kelly, was conjugated to biotin as previously described (19). The following mAbs used for cytofluorometric analysis (as ascitic fluids) were obtained from Caltag (Tebu, Le Perray en Yvelines, France) as phycoerythrin (PE) or fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugates: anti-CD4 (clone GK 1.5, rat IgG2b) and anti-CD8 (clone 53–6.7, rat IgG2a) for classical T cell markers, anti-B220 (clone RA3-{gamma}B2, rat IgG2a) for a pan B cell marker, and anti-Mac 1 (clone M1/70.15, rat IgG2b) for specific labeling of monocytic/macrophage cells. Unrelated mouse IgG1 and rat IgG2a and IgG2b (Caltag) were used as isotype-matched control antibodies in immunofluorescence studies and blocking experiments.

Biotin labeling of recombinant bGH
bGH was conjugated to biotin according to a technique previously described (18). Positive labeling with biotinylated bGH was revealed with streptavidin-PE (SAV-PE; Caltag).

Cell preparation and culture
Spleens and thymuses were removed from exsanguinated mice. Single cell suspensions of splenocytes and thymocytes were prepared in MEM using a homogenizer. After one wash, cell viability was determined by trypan blue exclusion. Six to 10 donors of the same age were used for each experimental point.

Depletion of splenic B cells and monocytes was accomplished by double panning on goat anti-mouse Ig- and anti-Mac 1-coated petri dishes (90-min incubation at 4 C). The efficiency of cell depletion was analyzed by flow cytometry after labeling with anti-B 220 and anti-Mac 1 antibodies; T cell-enriched splenocytes contained more than 97% T cells.

Unfractionated splenocytes, purified T splenocytes, or thymocytes from young C57BL/6 mice were diluted in RPMI 1640 culture medium supplemented with 0.2% BSA, 2 mM L-glutmine, 1000 U/ml penicillin-streptomycin, 10 mM HEPES buffer (Life Technologies, Cergy Pontoise, France), and 50 µM 2-mercaptoethanol (Sigma Immunochemicals, La Verpilliere, France).

Proliferation assays
Cells (2 x 105 in 200 µl) were seeded into 96-well flat microtiter plates and incubated at 37 C in 5% CO2 with or without LPS (1 µg/ml) or anti-CD3 (1 µg/ml). Anti-CD3, immobilized to tissue culture surfaces (2.5 µg/ml), was incubated overnight at 4 C, followed by two washes to remove excess antibody. In addition, cells were incubated in the presence or absence of increasing concentrations of recombinant bGH (10-14–10-5 M). At the indicated times, cells were exposed to 1 µCi/well [methyl-3H]thymidine (5.0 Ci/mmol; Amersham, Les Ulis, France). Cells were then harvested, and the radioactivity incorporated into DNA was quantitated in a Betaplate counter (LKB Wallac, St. Quentin en Yvelines, France). All proliferation assays designed to test exogenously added GH were performed under serum-free culture conditions.

For surface antigen detection, splenocytes, distributed in 50-ml tissue culture flasks (1 x 106 cells/ml), were incubated at 37 C in 5% CO2 with or without mitogens (anti-CD3 or LPS at the concentrations indicated above) in a final volume of 10 ml/flask. At appropriate time points, cells were harvested and processed for immunofluorescence staining.

Immunofluorescence labeling and flow cytometry
Indirect labeling of cells was performed in microtiter plates. Briefly, 1 x 106 cells, resuspended in PBS containing 0.2% BSA and 0.01 M sodium azide, were incubated with biotinylated bGH (2.5 µg) for 120 min at 4 C. After washing with staining medium, cells were incubated for 30 min with 10 µl SAV-PE and optimal dilutions of FITC-conjugated anti-CD4, anti-CD8, anti-B220, or isotype-matched control antibodies. The cells were then washed twice and resuspended in PBS containing 1% formaldehyde before analysis. Controls included staining with one reagent (FITC or PE) alone or with biotinylated BSA. Flow cytometry was performed on a FACScan (Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, CA). Propidium iodide was used systematically for the exclusion of dead cells. At least 104 lymphoid cells were acquired in each run, and the results were analyzed using Lysis II software.

Statistics
All values were expressed as the mean ± SEM of triplicate determinations. Differences between means were evaluated using unpaired Student’s t test.


   Results
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
Discussion
 References
 
Effect of bGH on anti-CD3-induced T cell proliferation
Experiments were designed to investigate the effect of bGH on the in vitro proliferation of activated murine T splenocytes. Unfractionated T cells were stimulated via their antigen-specific TCR complex (TCR-CD3) using a soluble mAb to CD3 in the presence or absence of increasing concentrations (10-14–10-5 M) of bGH. As shown in Fig. 1Go, anti-CD3 alone, over a 2-day-culture period, allowed the proliferation of T splenocytes, as assessed by [3H]thymidine uptake. The addition of bGH at the beginning of the culture yielded a significant increase in [3H]thymidine uptake compared to that of cultures containing anti-CD3 alone. A bell-shaped dose-response curve was observed, with an effect of bGH at concentrations ranging from 10-12–10-6 M. In six experiments, the response observed with bGH (10-8 M) reached a 2.5 ± 0.2-fold (mean ± SEM) increase over the effect of anti-CD3 alone. The bGH effect was consistently lost at a very high hormone concentration (10-5 M bGH). bGH alone never induced any stimulatory effect on the proliferation of murine T lymphocytes in the absence of anti-CD3 antibody (Fig. 1Go). In all experiments, [3H]thymidine uptake remained below 5000 cpm when the cells were not treated with a mitogen.



View larger version (17K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Figure 1. Effect of bGH on the proliferation of anti-CD3-activated murine splenocytes. Splenocytes (5 x 105/200 µl) were stimulated with soluble anti-CD3 (•; 0.1 µg/ml) in the presence of increasing concentrations of bGH (10-14–10-5 M) for 48 h at 37 C in 5% CO2. Control cultures ({circ}) contained bGH alone. The data shown are representative of one set of six experiments. Cells were exposed to [3H]thymidine for 16 h before harvest for proliferation assay.

 
The effect of bGH on anti-CD3-induced proliferation was also detected with purified T splenocytes, with a lower response than with unfractionated lymphocytes; bGH increased the proliferation of purified T cells by 53 ± 3% (P < 0.01) at 10-8 M and by 34 ± 2% (P < 0.02) at 10-10 M.

In addition, significant stimulation of cell proliferation was observed when bGH was added to murine activated thymocytes; thymidine uptake was increased by 78 ± 4% (P < 0.01) at 10-8 M bGH. Taken together, these results suggest that GH is able to directly stimulate both mature and immature T cells.

In five different experiments, IGF-I, at concentrations ranging from 10-9–10-7 M, did not stimulate the proliferation of resting or activated splenocytes (Table 1Go). At these concentrations, IGF-I has previously been shown to stimulate thymulin production and thymic epithelial cell proliferation (20). Moreover, the addition of either anti-IGF-I antibody or anti-IGF-I receptor antibody to the culture medium did not alter the bGH-induced proliferation of unfractionated splenocytes or purified T lymphocytes (Table 1Go).


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 1. Effect of IGF-I on lymphocyte proliferation

 
Effects of bGH and oPRL on anti-CD3-induced T cell proliferation
Splenocytes were cultured under standard conditions with anti-CD3 (0.1 µg/ml) and exposed to bGH (10-8 M) alone, PRL (10-8 M) alone, or both hormones. As shown in Fig. 2Go, a significant enhancement of [3H]thymidine uptake was observed in cells stimulated by anti-CD3 in the presence of either bGH or oPRL alone. The addition of both hormones resulted in a further increase in T cell proliferation.



View larger version (34K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Figure 2. Effects of oPRL and bGH on anti-CD3 T cell-induced proliferation. Splenocytes (5 x 105) were cultured for 48 h with anti-CD3 (0.1 µg/ml) alone or in the presence of bGH (10-8 M), PRL (10-8 M), or both hormones. Cells were exposed to [3H]thymidine for 16 h before harvest for proliferation assay. The results of one experiment, performed in triplicate, are shown. Three separate experiments gave similar results. *, P < 0.02; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001.

 
Lack of effect of bGH on the proliferation of murine B cells
To test the ability of bGH to modulate the proliferation of murine B lymphocytes, we stimulated splenocytes with suboptimal concentrations of LPS, a polyclonal B cell-specific mitogen, in the presence or absence of bGH in serum-free medium. bGH did not affect the proliferative response of splenocytes to LPS (Table 2Go).


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 2. Effect of bGH on LPS-induced proliferation of B splenocytes

 
Expression of GH receptors (GHR) in activated murine splenocytes
Expression of GHR on both CD4+ and CD8+ subpopulations of T cells during activation by anti-CD3 was analyzed by FACS, using biotinylated bGH. As shown in Fig. 3Go (upper panel), the percentages of CD4 and CD8 cells expressing GHR were not significantly different at the initiation of the culture. As early as 2 h after the addition of anti-CD3, several hours before the rise in the proliferative rate, a 2-fold increase in the proportion of GHR+ cells was detected. However, the number of GHR per cell remained unchanged, as assessed by fluorescence intensity. The pattern of expression of GHR+ cells was very similar for CD4+ and CD8+ subsets. The highest GHR expression was observed at 24 h, in parallel with the increased proliferation of anti-CD3-treated cells (Fig. 3Go, lower panel).



View larger version (24K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Figure 3. Binding of bGH to CD4+ ({circ}) and CD8+ (•) splenocytes as a function of time, during T cell activation by anti-CD3 mAb. Upper panel, Cells (1 x 106) cultured at 37 C in RPMI medium with 0.5% BSA with or without anti-CD3 mAb (0.1 µg/ml) were labeled at appropriate time points with biotinylated bGH followed by SAV-PE as the second stage reagent, and FITC-labeled anti-CD4 or anti-CD8 antibody. Dual color immunofluorescence analysis was performed by cytofluorometry. Lower panel, Proliferative response of splenocytes to anti-CD3. Cells (5 x 105) in 200 µl were cultured at 37 C with (•) or without ({circ}) anti-CD3 (0.1 µg/ml). At the indicated times, cells were exposed to 1 µCi/ml [3H]thymidine for 16 h, and the radioactivity was determined by liquid scintillation counting. Results are expressed as the mean ± SEM of three separate experiments.

 
Using B220 as a pan-B cell marker, we also analyzed the pattern of expression of GHR on B cells after activation of splenocytes by LPS. As shown in Fig. 4Go (lower panel), LPS induced a significant increase in cellular proliferation. However, the proportion of B cells expressing GHR, as assessed by double staining with anti-B220, was not influenced by LPS stimulation (upper panel). In addition, the density of GHR per cell, evaluated by the relative fluorescence intensity, remained unchanged during the activation process.



View larger version (35K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Figure 4. GHR expression on B220+ cells from LPS-stimulated splenocytes. Upper panel, Splenocytes in RPMI containing 0.2% BSA in the presence () or the absence ({square}) of LPS (1 µg/ml) were harvested at different time points for immunofluorescence analysis with biotinylated bGH and with FITC-conjugated anti-B220, as described in Fig. 1Go. Parallel cultures in microtiter plates were exposed to [3H]thymidine (1 µCi/well) for 16 h before harvest for proliferation assays at the same time points. The upper panel represents the percentages of B cells expressing GHR 4 and 24 h after LPS addition. The lower panel indicates the proliferative response of splenocytes to LPS 4 and 24 h after the beginning of the culture. The data shown are the mean ± SEM of one experiment performed in triplicate and are representative of three separate experiments.

 

   Discussion
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
References
 
Our results demonstrate that GH is able to stimulate the proliferation of activated murine T lymphocytes and support the physiological importance of the GHR that we have previously identified in murine cells (18).

In vitro studies regarding the lymphoproliferative effect of GH on human or rat lymphocytes have yielded contradictory results. Although it has been reported that human GH can induce blastogenesis and increase thymidine uptake in unstimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes (11, 12, 15) or thymocytes (13), our attempt to demonstrate a proliferative response to GH in unstimulated murine lymphocytes was unsuccessful. Our results are in agreement with those reported by Schimpff (14) and Kooijman et al. (16), who demonstrated hormonal effects on activated human peripheral blood lymphocytes using various culture conditions.

One major reason for the difficult demonstration of the GH effect could be GH production by the cells; expression of the GH messenger RNA and production of GH have been shown in human peripheral mononuclear lymphocytes (8, 21, 22), thymocytes (13), or B cell lines (23, 24) and in rat splenocytes, primarily in B cells (25). Moreover, a marked rise in GH production has been observed upon stimulation of the cells with concanavalin A (21, 22). Weigent et al. (9) showed that antisense GH oligodeoxynucleotide-mediated inhibition of GH production resulted in a decrease in lymphocyte proliferation. GH production by murine splenocytes and thymocytes remains to be demonstrated; in the present study, if there is hormone production by the cells, it is not sufficient to prevent the exogenous GH-mediated response.

The proliferative effect of bGH is shown exclusively on activated T lymphocytes. To obtain the hormonal response, the cells have to be activated either by a T cell mitogen, such as concanavalin A, or via their antigen-specific TCR complex (TCR/CD3) using an anti-CD3 antibody. As previously shown (18), the number of GHR on T lymphocytes increases during the activation process. From the cytofluorometric data, this enhanced GH binding is related to a higher number of cells expressing GHR rather than an increased number of receptors per cell. Interestingly, the increased expression of GHR occurs very early after stimulation, before the onset of T cell proliferation, and is distributed within both subpopulations of activated T cells, suggesting a role for GH in regulating various T cell effector functions.

No effect of bGH on the proliferation of B lymphocytes could be detected, even though GHR have been shown to be more widely expressed on B cells than on T cells of the mouse. Upon treatment with the B cell mitogen LPS, the high level of GH binding is not further enhanced concurrent with the absence of response of the cells to bGH. These findings are in contrast with those of Yoshida et al. (26), who could demonstrate a small enhancing effect of hGH on thymidine uptake in various human B cell lines. GH could also affect processes other than proliferation in B cells, and indeed, GH has been shown to stimulate immunoglobulin synthesis (26, 27, 28).

The stimulation of cell proliferation was observed with bGH concentrations as low as 10-12 M. The effect was lost at a very high hormone concentration (10-5 M). The bell-shaped dose-response curve is consistent with the sequential formation of an active hormone receptor-dimer complex. The formation of a homodimer consisting of one molecule of GH and two receptors has been shown to be a crucial step in GH signaling (29).

Both direct and indirect effects of GH on immunocompetent cells have been reported (30); indirect effects are mediated by paracrine/autocrine production of IGF-I. Our data support the hypothesis that GH directly stimulates T cell mitogenesis: 1) exogenous IGF-I had no effect on the proliferation of either resting or activated lymphocytes, 2) anti-IGF-I or anti-IGF-I receptor antibodies did not inhibit the GH proliferative effect observed with unfractionated splenocytes, and 3) the cellular proliferative effect of GH is also observed with purified, monocyte-depleted, T cell populations and thymocytes, which favors this hypothesis, as it is known that macrophages are the most abundant source of IGF-I (30). However, a recent report by Sabharwal suggests an indirect role of GH, via locally synthesized IGF-I, on the proliferation of human thymic cells (13).

We observed a greater GH proliferative effect in unfractionated splenocytes than in purified T lymphocytes. IGF-I does not appear to be responsible for the GH-induced proliferation. A possible explanation for our data is that GH stimulates the production of cytokines by monocytes present in the mixed cell population.

By using bGH, which binds only to GHR and does not interact with the PRL receptor, we show a hormonal effect via the GHR. However, PRL is also able to stimulate the proliferation of murine T lymphocytes, and a greater effect is observed when the two hormones are added together.

The signaling mechanisms by which GH exerts its effect on lymphocyte proliferation is not defined. The hormone could also act by stimulating cells to enter the cell cycle, or it could act indirectly on cell replication, through lymphokines.


   Acknowledgments
 
The expert secretarial assistance of C. Slama and C. Coridun is gratefully acknowledged. We thank M. Netter for her help with the art work.


   Footnotes
 
1 Presented in part at the 10th International Congress of Endocrinology, San Francisco, CA, June 1996. This work was supported by CNRS and INSERM. Back

2 Recipient of a grant from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e tecnológico. Back

Received November 14, 1996.


   References
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

  1. Berczi I, Nagy E, de Toledo SM, Matusik RJ, Friesen HG 1991 Pituitary hormones regulate c-myc and DNA synthesis in lymphoid tissue. J Immunol 146:2201–2206[Abstract]
  2. Murphy WJ, Durum SK, Longo DL 1992 Role of neuroendocrine hormones in murine T cell development: growth hormone exerts thymopoietic effects in vivo. J Immunol 149:3851–3857[Abstract]
  3. Murphy WJ, Durum SK, Longo DL 1993 Differential effects of growth hormone and prolactin on murine T cell development and function. J Exp Med 178:231–236[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  4. Kelley KW, Brief S, Westly HJ, Novakofski J, Bechtel PJ, Simon J, Walker EB 1986 GH3 pituitary adenoma cells can reverse thymic aging in rats. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 83:5663–5667[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  5. Li YM, Brunke DL, Dantzer R, Kelley KW 1992 Pituitary epitheial cell implants reverse the accumulation of CD4-CD8- lymphocytes in thymus glands of aged rats. Endocrinology 130:2703–2709[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  6. Goya RG, Gagnerault MC, Leite de Moraes MC, Savino W, Dardenne M 1992 In vivo effects of growth hormone on thymus function in aging mice. Brain Behav Immun 6:341–354[CrossRef][Medline]
  7. Blazar BR, Brennan CA, Brosmeyer HE, Shulz LD, Vallera DA 1995 Transgenic mice expressing either bovine growth hormone (bGH) or human GH releasing hormone (hGRH) have increased splenic progenitor cell colony formation and DNA synthesis in vitro and in vivo. Exp Hematol 23:1397–1406[Medline]
  8. Weigent DA, Baster JB, Wear WE, Smith LR, Bost KL, Blalock JE 1988 Production of immunoreactive growth hormone by mononuclear leukocytes. FASEB J 2:2812–2818[Abstract]
  9. Weigent DA, Blalock JE, Leboeuf RD 1991 An antisense oligodeoxynucleotide to growth hormone messenger ribonucleic acid inhibits lymphocyte proliferation. Endocrinology 128:2053–2057[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  10. Geffner ME, Bersch N, Lippe BM, Rosenfeld RG, Hintz RL, Golde DW 1990 Growth hormone mediates the growth of T-lymphoblast cell lines via locally generated insulin-like growth factor-I. J Clin Endocrin Metab 71:464–469[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  11. Astaldi A, Yalcin A, Meardi G, Burgio GR, Merolla R, Astaldi G 1973 Effects of growth hormone on lymphocyte transformation in cell culture. Blut 26:74–81[CrossRef][Medline]
  12. Mercola KE, Cline MJ, Golde DW 1981 Growth hormone stimulation of normal and leukemic human T-lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. Blood 58:337–340[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  13. Sabharwal P, Varma S 1996 Growth hormone synthesized and secreted by human thymocytes acts via insulin-like growth factor I as an autocrine and paracrine growth factor. J Clin Endocrin Metab 81:2663–2669[Abstract]
  14. Schimpff RM, Repellin AM 1989 In vitro effect of human growth hormone on lymphocyte transformation and lymphocyte growth factors secretion. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 120:745–752[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  15. Kiess W, Holtmann H, Butenandt O, Eife R 1983 Modulation of lymphoproliferation by human growth hormone. Eur J Pediatr 140:47–50[CrossRef][Medline]
  16. Kooijman R, Willems M, Rijkers GT, Brinkman A, Van Buul-Offers SC, Heijnen CJ, Zegers BJ M 1992 Effects of insulin-like growth factors and growth hormone on the in vitro proliferation of T lymphocytes. J Neuroimmunol 38:95–104[CrossRef][Medline]
  17. LeRoith D, Yanowski J, Kaldjian EP, Jaffe ES, LeRoith T, Purdue K, Cooper BD, Pyle R, Adler W 1996 The effects of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor I on the immune system of aged female monkeys. Endocrinology 137:1071–1079[Abstract]
  18. Gagnerault MC, Postel-Vinay MC, Dardenne M 1996 Expression of growth hormone receptors in murine lymphoid cells analyzed by flow cytofluorometry. Endocrinology 137:1719–1726[Abstract]
  19. Durant S, Coulaud J, Amrani A, El Hasnaoui A, Dardenne M, Homo-Delarche F 1993 Effects of various environmental stress paradigms and adrenalectomy on the expression of autoimmune type 1 diabetes in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse. J Autoimmun 6:735–751[CrossRef][Medline]
  20. Timsit J, Savino W, Safieh B, Chanson P, Gagnerault MC, Bach JF, Dardenne M 1992 Growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 stimulate hormonal function and proliferation of thymic epithelial cells. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 75:183–188[Abstract]
  21. Hattori N, Shimatsu A, Sugita M, Kumagai S, Imura H 1990 Immunoreactive growth hormone (GH) secretion by human lymphocytes: augmented release by exogenous GH. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 168:396–401[CrossRef][Medline]
  22. Varma S, Sabharwal P, Sheridan JF, Malarkey WB 1993 Growth hormone secretion by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells detected by an enzyme-linked immunoplaque assay. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 76:49–53[Abstract]
  23. Kao TL, Harbour DV, Meyer III WJ 1992 Immunoreactive growth hormone production by cultured lymphocytes. Ann NY Acad Sci 650:179–181[CrossRef][Medline]
  24. Lytras A, Quan N, Vrontakis ME, Shaw JE, Cattini PA, Friesen HG 1993 Growth hormone expression in human Burkitt lymphoma serum-free ramos cell line. Endocrinology 132:620–628[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  25. Weigent DA, Blalock JE 1991 The production of growth hormone by subpopulations of rat mononuclear leukocytes. Cell Immunol 135:55–65[CrossRef][Medline]
  26. Yoshida A, Ishioka C, Kimata H, Mikawa H 1992 Recombinant human growth hormone stimulates B cell immunoglobulin synthesis and proliferation in serum-free medium. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 126:524–529[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  27. Kimata H, Yoshida A 1994 Effect of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I on immunoglobulin production by and growth of human B cells. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 78:635–641[Abstract]
  28. Kimata H, Fujimoto M 1994 Growth hormone and insulin-growth factor I induce immunoglobulin (Ig)E and IgG4 production by human B cells. J Exp Med 180:727–732[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  29. Fuh G, Cunningham C, Fukunaga R, Nagata S, Goeddel D, Wells J 1992 Rationale design of potent antagonists to the human growth hormone receptor. Science 256:1677–1680[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  30. Kelley KW, Arkins S, Minshall C, Liu Q, Dantzer R 1996 Growth hormone, growth factors and hematopoiesis. Horm Res 45:38–45[Medline]



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol.Home page
H. Kook, H. Itoh, B. S. Choi, N. Sawada, K. Doi, T. J. Hwang, K. K. Kim, H. Arai, Y. H. Baik, and K. Nakao
Physiological concentration of atrial natriuretic peptide induces endothelial regeneration in vitro
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, April 1, 2003; 284(4): H1388 - H1397.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 LupusHome page
A R Buckley
Prolactin, a lymphocyte growth and survival factor
Lupus, October 1, 2001; 10(10): 684 - 690.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 EndocrinologyHome page
E. Baixeras, S. Jeay, P. A. Kelly, and M.-C. Postel-Vinay
The Proliferative and Antiapoptotic Actions of Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Are Mediated through Distinct Signaling Pathways in the Pro-B Ba/F3 Cell Line
Endocrinology, July 1, 2001; 142(7): 2968 - 2977.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Endocr. Rev.Home page
W. Savino and M. Dardenne
Neuroendocrine Control of Thymus Physiology
Endocr. Rev., August 1, 2000; 21(4): 412 - 443.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
S. Jeay, G. E. Sonenshein, M.-C. Postel-Vinay, and E. Baixeras
Growth Hormone Prevents Apoptosis through Activation of Nuclear Factor-{kappa}B in Interleukin-3-Dependent Ba/F3 Cell Line
Mol. Endocrinol., May 1, 2000; 14(5): 650 - 661.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 Exp. Biol. Med.Home page
A. Bartke, V. Chandrashekar, D. Turyn, R. W. Steger, L. Debeljuk, T. A. Winters, J. A. Mattison, N. A. Danilovich, W. Croson, D. R. Wernsing, et al.
Effects of Growth Hormone Overexpression and Growth Hormone Resistance on Neuroendocrine and Reproductive Functions in Transgenic and Knock-Out Mice
Experimental Biology and Medicine, November 1, 1999; 222(2): 113 - 123.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 EndocrinologyHome page
V. de Mello-Coelho, M.-C. Gagnerault, J.-C. Souberbielle, C. J. Strasburger, W. Savino, M. Dardenne, and M.-C. Postel-Vinay
Growth Hormone and Its Receptor Are Expressed in Human Thymic Cells
Endocrinology, September 1, 1998; 139(9): 3837 - 3842.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Postel-Vinay, M.-C.
Right arrow Articles by Dardenne, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Postel-Vinay, M.-C.
Right arrow Articles by Dardenne, M.

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Endocrinology Endocrine Reviews J. Clin. End. & Metab.
Molecular Endocrinology Recent Prog. Horm. Res. All Endocrine Journals