title: Immunological activities of recombinant interferon-alpha 2 and its A fragment.
abstract: The immunomodulating effects of the A fragment of recombinant human interferon-alpha 2 (rIFN-alpha 2) generated by thermolysin treatment was compared to that of the intact rIFN-alpha 2 and lymphoblastoid IFN. The A fragment was similar to intact IFN in augmenting natural killer (NK) activity and suppressing the proliferation of certain cell lines, but it failed to inhibit human polyclonal immunoglobulin production; rIFN-alpha 2 and lymphoblastoid IFN were equally effective in suppressing this in vitro system. These data suggest that the A fragment mediates certain, but not all, of the immunomodulating properties of IFN-alpha 2.
mesh_terms: D000917:Antibody Formation; D002455:Cell Division; D002460:Cell Line; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D013820:Thermolysin
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013820:Thermolysin