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. 1988 Feb 1;167(2):598-611.
doi: 10.1084/jem.167.2.598.

Interleukin 4 induces cultured monocytes/macrophages to form giant multinucleated cells

A McInnes  1 , D M Rennick
Affiliations

Interleukin 4 induces cultured monocytes/macrophages to form giant multinucleated cells

A McInnes et al. J Exp Med. .

Abstract

Giant multinucleated cells (GMCs) are associated with granulomatous lesions that form in response to various infectious and noninfectious agents. The present study shows that mouse IL-4 induces the in vitro formation of GMCs by factor-dependent bone marrow and alveolar monocytes via cell fusion. GMCs appear 2 d after incubation of cell cultures with 20 U/ml or more of IL-4. Anti-IL-4 mAbs block the appearance of GMCs in these cultures, indicating that IL-4 acts directly on monocytes to promote fusion and does not secondarily induce the production of other soluble fusion factors. In soft agar cultures, IL-4 also causes the aggregation of macrophages and diminishes their migration. The role of IL-4 in a granulomatous inflammatory response is discussed.

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