Follicular lymphoma is an indolent disease which eventually results in a rapidly proliferating lymphoma. Growth factors which regulate the growth of follicular lymphoma cells are not well described. We have undertaken to identify the autocrine growth factors, if any, which are responsible for follicular lymphoma growth in vitro. We have made the initial observation that follicular lymphoma cells will condition medium, which can then be used to support their growth when the cells are plated at low density. In this way we have been able to demonstrate that autocrine factors are produces by these cells. Size fractionation of serum-free conditioned medium reveals that a greater than 10 kd fraction is responsible for the growth promoting activity of unfractionated conditioned medium. Reverse transcription/PCR analysis of follicular lymphoma cell mRNA reveals that these cells produce several interleukins, including IL1beta, IL2, GM-CSF and IL-5. IL1beta and IL2, when added to cells at low density, potentiate their growth to the same degree as conditioned medium. When antibodies to IL1beta and IL2 are added to conditioned medium, its ability to stimulate cell growth at low cell density is markedly inhibited. Thus, follicular lymphoma cells appear to possess autocrine growth loops for IL1beta and IL2.
