Biochemical enrichment of lymphokines secreted by a cloned helper T lymphocyte.

The Mls-reactive murine helper T cell clone L2 produces at least 10 lymphokine activities affecting at least five distinct target cells. Culture conditions can be optimized to enable production of high levels of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) by lectin stimulation of L2 cells under serum-free conditions. Selective enrichment of three lymphokine activities--interleukin 2, CSF, and interferon--can be achieved by using a combination of phenyl-Sepharose and hydroxyapatite chromatography. At least two types of CSF can be separated by concanavalin A-Sepharose chromatography. The CSF that does not bind to concanavalin A-Sepharose can be enriched to a specific activity of at least 5 X 10(8) U/mg of protein by using ion exchange high-pressure liquid chromatography.