The polymeric IgR (pIgR) mediates transcytosis of polymeric IgA across mucosal epithelia. Expression of this receptor in HT-29.74 human colon carcinoma cells is up-regulated by the recombinant cytokines IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-4. Here, we demonstrate that activation of freshly isolated human intestinal lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMC) induces production of natural cytokines, and these act synergistically as potent stimulators of pIgR expression in HT-29.74 cells. LPMC from normal colonic mucosa were stimulated with PMA and calcium ionophore A-23187. The resulting supernatants consistently induced dose-dependent increases in pIgR expression by HT-29.74 cells, up to 65-fold. Analysis of four separate LPMC supernatants revealed mean concentrations of 8260 pg/ml for IFN-gamma, 420 pg/ml for TNF-alpha, and 15 pg/ml for IL-4. Ab-mediated neutralization of these cytokines suggested that the central regulator of pIgR expression in these supernatants was IFN-gamma. IL-4 neutralization had no effect on induction and TNF-alpha neutralization slightly reduced induction. In contrast, IFN-gamma neutralization abolished up to 93% of pIgR induction and had essentially the same effect as simultaneous neutralization of all three cytokines. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that natural cytokines, predominantly IFN-gamma, produced by stimulated human intestinal lymphocytes and macrophages have the capacity to up-regulate dramatically pIgR expression in an intestinal epithelial cell line, strongly suggesting that their action in vivo leads to enhancement of local defense functions mediated by IgA.