title: Constitutive expression of specific interferon isotypes in peripheral blood leukocytes from normal individuals and in promonocytic U937 cells.
abstract: Constitutive expression of IFN-alpha5 and IFN-beta was detected in different lymphoid cells including peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal individuals following amplification of IFN mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing of the amplified product. The activated form of the interferon-induced transcription factor complex ISGF3 was also detected in nuclear extracts from uninduced cells. Culture supernatants from uninduced U937 cells were also found to activate an ISRE cloned upstream of the luciferase reporter gene, indicating the presence of endogenous IFN activity equivalent to approximately 0.3 to 0.5 IU/mL. This endogenous IFN was also shown to play a role in maintaining the basal level of expression of the major histocompatibility class I genes in lymphoid cells. These results suggest that IFN-alpha5 and IFN-beta are produced at low levels in normal tissues and play an important role in the regulation of cell function and in the maintenance of homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Viral Oncology, CNRS, Villejuif, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lallemand
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lebon
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rizza
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blanchard
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Tovey
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D006801:Humans; D050832:Interferon-Stimulated Gene Factor 3; D050834:Interferon-Stimulated Gene Factor 3, gamma Subunit; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008156:Luciferases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C494227:IRF9 protein, human; D050832:Interferon-Stimulated Gene Factor 3; D050834:Interferon-Stimulated Gene Factor 3, gamma Subunit; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016899:Interferon-beta; D008156:Luciferases