Nonlymphoid cells interacted with mitogens fail to elaborate macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)

The ability of a number of normal and transformed nonlymphoid cells to produce macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was studied. MIF was not detectable in either native or concentrated supernatants of unstimulated cultures or in supernatants of cells interacted with T- or B-lymphocyte mitogens. These results are considered in the context of literature reports of release of MIF-like materials by nonlymphoid cells. It is concluded that more stringent criteria are required to ascertain whether the inhibition of migration induced by supernatants of nonlymphoid cell cultures is in fact due to lymphokine-like materials.