title: Requirement for IFN gamma in potentiation of interferon's antiviral and anticellular activities: identity of mouse and human systems.
abstract: Potentiation was originally demonstrated as a nonadditive, synergistic enhancement of interferon (IFN) activity in the mouse system for mixed preparations containing MuIFN-alpha/beta and MuIFN-gamma. Potentiation of the antiviral and anticellular activities has now been studied for mouse and human systems, and in both systems IFN-alpha and IFN-beta interacted synergistically with IFN-gamma, but not with each other. Further, the antiviral and anticellular activities of IFN-alpha and IFN-beta were potentiated equally by IFN-gamma. Potentiation was demonstrated for HuIFNs with specific activities of 10(7) U/mg of protein and higher. Naturally produced and recombinant HuIFN-alpha s had the same relative abilities to be potentiated by HuIFN-gamma. It was concluded that IFN-gamma with either IFN-alpha or IFN-beta was essential for potentiation, that potentiation of anticellular and antiviral actions occurred in similar manners, and that a close correlation existed between potentiation in mouse and human systems. These results suggest that potentiation was caused by the interaction of two dissimilar IFN types (immune versus virus-type) and that potentiation studies in the mouse may be directly relevant for humans.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002999:Clone Cells; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007739:L Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D009522:Newcastle disease virus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; D007371:Interferon-gamma