[en] Recently the authors reported that Con A stimulates in vitro proliferation of Thy-1+ dendritic epidermal cells (EC). They have not investigated the capacity of Con A-stimulated Thy-1+ EC to secrete IL-2-like activity (IL-2) 7-17EC is a 4 month-old line of Thy-1+ EC established from AKR/J EC by repeated stimulation with Con A and IL-2; these cells were 99% Thy-1+, but <1% L3T4+ and only 4-10% Lyt-2+. 7-17EC were harvested, washed, and plated in 96-well U-plates. Proliferation was assayed after 3H-thymidine pulsing; culture media was tested for IL-2 using the IL-2-dependent HT-2 cell line. With continuous Con A, marked IL-2 secretion (day 2 peak) was followed in parallel by proliferation (day 4 peak). In the absence of Con A, neither IL-2 nor proliferation was seen; however, both were recovered by addition of Con A to cells cultured first for 48 hr in media alone. 7-17EC proliferation was maximal at 0.5-2 μg Con A while maximal IL-2 secretion (100-200 U/ml) was seen at 4-8 μg/ml. That this amount of IL-2 was in excess of that required for their own optimal proliferation was supported by the failure of additional recombinant IL-2 (10 U/ml) to enhance Con A-stimulated proliferation of 7-17EC over a 4 day period. These findings further document the wide range of immunologic capabilities of Thy-1+ cells derived from epidermis