Friend virus release and induction of haemoglobin synthesis in erythroleukaemic cells respond differently to interferon.

Abstract

EXPERIMENTS with intact cells have provided the firmest evidence that the synthesis of viral proteins is the main function inhibited in cells treated with interferon. Changes in an interferon-treated cell which lead to the development of resistance may be reflected also in a cell-free system for protein synthesis. Thus, polyribosomes of interferon-treated L cells were found unable to translate either mengovirus mRNA or haemoglobin mRNA—in contrast to the endogenous mRNA synthesis which was not impaired1. A similar inhibition of the translation of exogenous viral or cellular mRNAs was reported for cell-free extracts from interferon-treated Ehrlich ascites cells2. These observations raise the question of whether the expression of some cellular functions is as equally affected as that of viruses. The inhibition of haemopoietic colony growth and of phytohaemagglutinin stimulation of lymphocytes by interferon seems to indicate that interferon does have such a dual effect3,4. We show here, however, that interferon inhibits virus release or replication but that it does not interfere with DMSO-induced differentiation.