This study examined the role of IL-1 receptor antagonist protein (IRAP) in the regulation of the immune/inflammatory response to schistosome eggs. Initial screening for IRAP-specific mRNA transcripts by reverse transcriptase and primer-directed polymerase chain reactions suggested significant endogenous IRAP synthesis in lungs with Schistosoma mansoni egg-induced hypersensitivity granulomas but not in normal lungs or lungs with non-immune bead granulomas. Direct detection using mIRAP-specific antibodies corroborated the RNA studies. Both ELISA and immunohistochemical studies revealed significant spontaneous IRAP production in cultures of isolated egg granulomas and regional reactive lymphoid tissue that could be localized largely but not exclusively to macrophages. Synchronously developing secondary schistosome egg granulomas showed accelerated and augmented IRAP production compared with primary lesions, paralleling granuloma cellularity and growth kinetics. Nonimmune T cell-independent bead lesions produced the least amounts of IRAP. In draining lymphoid tissue the onset of IRAP production corresponded with local cell proliferation in both primary and secondary egg responses. Next, the in vivo role of IRAP was tested by administration of anti-IRAP antisera which caused 40-50% increases in egg granuloma area. Moreover, treatment increased (50-100%) IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-gamma production in the primary response and all but IFN in secondary response lymph node cultures. Our results suggest that IRAP is an endogenous regulatory protein and may limit the activity of IL-1 during the Ag-specific granulomatous response to schistosome eggs. Furthermore, our findings provide in vivo support for the notion that Ag-elicited lymphocyte-derived products probably augment IRAP production and block the action of IL-1.