Intracellular regulation of the production and release of human erythroid-directed lymphokines.

Erythroid burst-promoting activity (BPA) is released from B lymphocytes in soluble (sBPA) and membrane-bound (mBPA) forms. To study intracellular processes involved in production of these physically separable factors, we measured their time course release into serum-free medium from B cells that were pulse-exposed for 5-240 min to nonmitogenic base medium or inhibitors of energy-dependent metabolism (2,4-dinitrophenol, sodium azide, and 2-deoxy-D-glucose), transcription and translation (actinomycin D and cycloheximide), replicative DNA synthesis (cytosine arabinoside), or posttranslational processing (monensin). mBPA and sBPA were initially detectable after 1 and 2 h, respectively. Maximum cumulative levels of 8 +/- 0.6 and 9 +/- 1.0 U/ml, respectively, were reached after 8 h. In contrast, cumulative mBPA and sBPA levels in medium prepared from cells treated with metabolic inhibitors were reduced by up to 90%. Both surface exfoliation and mBPA expression by intact plasma membranes were diminished. Whereas pulse-exposure to cytosine arabinoside had no effect, treatment with actinomycin D or cycloheximide abolished BPA expression. Exposure to monensin reduced mBPA and sBPA levels to zero in a concentration-and time-dependent fashion. We conclude that production and release of BPA is an energy-dependent process, requiring mRNA synthesis and translation and posttranslational remodeling of the protein but not replicative DNA synthesis.