Repression of interferon action: induced dedifferentiation of embryonic cells.
Cells cultured from young (6-day) chicken embryos differ from those of older (13-day) embryos in having a greater susceptibility to infection by certain viruses and a considerably lesser sensitivity to the action of interferon. These circumstances parallel those observed in the intact embryo. The addition of a small percentage of cells from young embryos alters the response of cells cultured from older embryos by increasing viral susceptibility sevenfold and decreasing sensitivity to interferon 25-fold. We postulate that a repressor which inhibits the expression of interferon in older embryonic cells is elaborated by cells from young embryos.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002642:Chick Embryo; D046508:Culture Techniques; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D007372:Interferons / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000276:immunology*
D007372:Interferons