title: Constitutive and virus-induced interferon production by peripheral blood leukocytes.
abstract: The production of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) by normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) was studied using polyclonal antipeptide antibodies designed to react either with all IFN-alpha subtypes or with individual subtypes IFN-alpha 2 or IFN-alpha 4. In this study, we demonstrate the detection of intracellular IFN-alpha in PBMNC using immunofluorescence staining and flow-cytometric analysis. Virtually all cells of the PBMNC population were shown to produce IFN-alpha reactive with all three antisera after stimulation with Sendai virus. The immunofluorescence studies also demonstrated that IFN-alpha is produced by PBMNC in the absence of known viral stimulation but is not secreted in detectable levels. Double-labeling with specific monoclonal antibodies to T and B lymphocytes confirmed that the entire populations of these two cell types produce IFN-alpha, both constitutively and after virus induction. Polymorphonuclear cells (PMNC) isolated from Ficoll-Paque pellets were also shown to contain intracellular IFN-alpha, both before and after virus induction. The finding that all PBMNC produce IFN-alpha constitutively suggests that IFN-alpha may have important regulatory functions in situations other than during overt viral infections.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Early Human Development, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Greenway
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hertzog
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Devenish
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Linnane
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D010222:Parainfluenza Virus 1, Human / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha