title: Biological and immunological properties of native species of human leukocyte interferon.
abstract: The successful purification of the native species of human leukocyte interferon (Hu IFN - alpha) has made it possible to perform a detailed biological immunological analysis which has been disclosed that the human interferon alpha species are represented by 13 individually separated species having molecular weights in the range of 16.6 to 33.5 kD (1-3). The stained interferon proteins were eluted individually from the gel slices and assessed for antiviral activity in the human, monkey and bovine cells, as well as for immunomodulatory effect in vitro on human lymphocytes. Interferon titrations were performed in human and in bovine cells and it was disclosed that one interferon species did not have any activity in the human system, at all (2). In contrast to the human activity, the bovine activity in each Hu IFN - alpha species increased along with decreasing molecular weights. Based on equal amounts of human interferon units, the "immunological efficacy" of the 13 different human IFN alpha species yielded the following in cellular immune systems (4): 1) potentiation of the natural killer cell (NK) function was a property of all species, although the two lower species (16.6 kD and 16.9 kD) were clearly less efficient having "titers" in the NK system reduced 25-fold; 2) enhanced expression of HLA on lymphocyte membranes was induced by all of the Hu IFN alpha species to the same extent; and, 3) addition of interferon to mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) augmented the cytotoxic mediated lympholysis (CML) outcome of the cultures. In this system all 13 species exerted their effort equally well.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I