Interferon cell species specificity: role of cell membrane receptors

The role of sialic acid in determining the survival of circulating interferon

Rabbit interferon has been extensively desialytated and its metabolic behaviour has been evaluated in the rabbit. The half-life of asialointerferon is significantly shorter than the native interferon and its urinary excretion becomes negligible. Moreover the rapid uptake of asialointerferon by the isolated and perfused rabbit liver, suggests a hitherto unsuspected catobolic pathway for this glycoprotein.

Functional and ultrastructural studies of the effects of human interferon on cell membranes of in vitro cultured cells

The effect of human leukocyte interferon on cultured U-amnion cells was examined, and several biological parameters were registered. Multiplication of Vesicular stomatitis virus and the virus-produced cytopathogenic effect was prevented. The growth rate of uninfected cells was reduced, as well as the spontaneous release of 3H-uridine. These effects were observed following treatment with 10 units of interferon per ml. No morphological alterations could be detected by scanning electron microscopy after 24 or 72 hours treatment with up to 2000 units interferon per ml.

Interferon: effects on the immune response and the mechanism of activation of the cellular response

The discovery of interferon in 1957 by Drs. Isaacs and Lindenmann led to major revisions in the concepts of man's defenses against viral infections. There are at least two types of interferon. Along with their antiviral properties, they have recently been shown to exert a suppressive effect on the humoral and cellular immune response; they affect both B and T lymphocytes. A variety of substances, including virus, polyribonucleotides, and mitogens for T lymphocytes, are good interferon inducers. T lymphocytes seem to be necessary for these inducers to exert their immunosuppressive effects. The immunosuppressive effects of interferon inducers suggests that interferons may be mediators of suppressor T lymphocyte effects. In the virus system, interferon does not exert its antiviral effects by direct action on the virus, but rather derepresses a cell gene that results in the production of an antiviral protein. This antiviral protein is probably the mediator of inhibition of virus replication. This is a complex sequence of events that results in the interaction of interferon with the cell membrane and the resulting production of the antiviral state in the cell. This review will examine the various steps of this involved process.

Chromosomal localization of human genes governing the interferon-induced antiviral state

Interferon sensitivity of different normal and aneusomic human cells and of different mouse-human hybrids cells has been compared. G21 trisomic cells are more sensitive than diploid cells; whereas, on the contrary, triploid cells are normal in their human interferon sensitivity. Among other aneusomic cell lines tested, E16 trisomic cells are significantly less sensitive. These data are in favor of the hypotheses that the G21 chromosome carries genetic information for structural proteins involved in the receptor system for interferon, that there is a regulatory mechanism governing the antiviral state, and that the E16 chromosome is a possible candidate for carrying information for such a depressive regulatory mechanism. None of the chromosome abnormalities studies are involved with interferon synthesis.