Lack of interferon-induced transfer of viral resistance against murine leukemia virus or poliovirus in cocultivated cells

Abstract

It has recently been reported that there can be a transfer of the interferon (IFN)-induced viral resistance between cocultivated animal cells. However, in those systems the challenge virus was capable of replicating in both cell types. A more convincing conclusion could be obtained if the infecting virus could not replicate in the cell type which is homologous to the species of IFN that is added to the cultures. An inhibition of the yield of this virus would indicate that there was a transfer of the antiviral state from one cell species to another. In cocultivated mouse and human cells, a murine ecotropic type-C virus can only multiply in the mouse cells whereas poliovirus will only replicate efficiently in the human cells. It is clearly evident from this study that only homologous but not heterologous fibroblast IFN is capable of inhibiting the replication of either of these viruses in various combinations of cocultivated cells.