The evolution of the type I interferon gene family in mammals

A phylogenetic analysis of mammalian type I interferon (IFN) genes showed: (1) that the three main subfamilies of these genes in mammals (IFN-, IFN-, and IFN-) diverged after the divergence of birds and mammals but before radiation of the eutherian orders and (2) that IFN- diverged first. Although apparent cases of interlocus recombination among mouse IFN- genes were identified, the hypothesis that coding regions of IFN- genes have been homogenized within species by interlocus recombination was not supported. Flanking regions as well as coding regions of IFN- were more similar within human and mouse than between these species; and reconstruction of the pattern of nucleotide substitution in IFN- coding regions of four mammalian species by the maximum parsimony method suggested that parallel substitutions have occurred far more frequently between species than within species. Therefore, it seems likely that IFN- genes have duplicated independently within different eutherian orders. In general, type I IFN genes are subject to purifying selection, which in the case of IFN- and IFN- is strongest in the putative receptor-binding domains. However, analysis of the pattern of nucleotide substitution among IFN- genes suggested that positive Darwinian selection may have acted in some cases to diversify members of this subfamily at the amino acid level.     

Upregulation of Fas-induced apoptosis by interferon-γ accompanied by increased ICE expression in renal cell cancer cells

The integration of Fas/Apo-1 (CD95) by Fas ligand or anti-Fas antibody induces apoptosis, and this system plays a pivotal role for the lysis of target cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Fas-mediated apoptosis is also increased by a prior incubation of Fas-bearing cells with interferon(IFN)-. Interleukin-1- converting enzyme (ICE) and/or CPP32, or other members of ICE family act as direct cell death executors downstream of this mechanism, and a tetrapeptide inhibitor of these cysteine proteases blocks Fas-mediated apoptosis. In this study, we examined the effect of IFN- on Fas-mediated apoptosis in ACHN cells. IFN- augmented apoptosis in a dose dependent manner and reached a plateau at 400 U/ml when exposed for 48 h before the end of culture. The kinetics revealed a significant increase in apoptosis after 24 h. Exposing ACHN cells to IFN- increased pro-ICE expression accompanied with a decrease of pro-CPP32. These results suggest that direct enhancement of ICE expression and/or upregulation of conversion of pro-CPP32 to active form increases Fas-mediated apoptosis by IFN- in ACHN cells.     

A sandwich-type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the analysis of recombinant human interferon α-2b

The ability of a previously developed sandwich-type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for discriminating incorrectly folded recombinant human interferon -2b (IFN-2b) molecular species from multi disulphide-bonded species was investigated. This ELISA was applied to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the renaturation of IFN-2b, a step that is currently used in the large-scale production of IFN-2b produced in recombinant Escherichia coli strains.     

Monitoring proteolysis of recombinant human interferon-γ during batch culture of Chinese hamster ovary cells

Proteolytic cleavage of recombinant human interferon- (IFN-) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells during batch fermentation has been monitored by mass spectrometric peptide mapping. IFN- was purified from cell-free culture supernatant by immunoaffinity chromatography and cleaved by endoprotease Asp-N. Peptide fragments were resolved by reverse-phase HPLC and identified by a combination of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and automated N-terminal peptide sequencing. Using this approach, a peptide was identified as the C-terminal fragment of the IFN- polypeptide. Analysis of this peptide by MS indicated that the recombinant IFN- polypeptide secreted by CHO cells was truncated by at least ten amino acids, initially at Gln¹³³-Met¹³⁴. No full length (143 amino acids) polypeptide molecules were observed at any stages of the fermentation. Additional proteolytic cleavages at basic amino acids N-terminal of Gln¹³³ occurred during the later stages of the culture resulting in a heterogeneous IFN- polypeptide population with 'ragged' C-termini.     

Interferon Yield and MHC Antigen Expression of Human Medulloblastoma Cells and Its Suppression During Dibutyryl Cyclic AMP-Induced Differentiation: Do Medulloblastoma Cells Derive from Bipotent Neuronal and Glial Progenitors?

1. Human medulloblastoma (ONS-76), a central nervous system (CNS)-derived undifferentiated cell line, was found to possess glial characteristics as defined by responses in the interferon (IFN) system; ONS-76 cells produced as much IFN- as human fibroblast and glioma cells by viral infection and poly(I):poly(C) induction.2. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens were also induced under IFN- stimulation. ONS-76 cells expressed neurofilament protein, as shown by Northern blot analysis, and morphological differentiation was induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dcAMP).3. Expression of IFN- and MHC class I antigens was suppressed in ONS-76 cells during the dcAMP-induced differentiation.4. These results showed that ONS-76 cells possessed a glial properly in IFN system responses and a neuronal property in cytoskeleton protein, suggesting that the precursors of medulloblastoma may be characterized as bipotent neuronal and glial progenitors in CNS.     

Interferon inhibits the accumulation of glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA in oligodendrocytes and C6 cells

We investigated the effect of rat interferon-/ (IFN) on the expression of glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (E.C.1.1.1.8; GPDH), in both C6 cells and pure cultures of oligodendrocytes. IFNs are naturally produced inhibitors of cell growth that can also affect differentiated cell functions. GPDH is a biochemical marker for oligodendrocytes and is known to be developmentally regulated and steroid inducible. GPDH activity is induced by hydrocortisone (HC) 3.5 fold in C6 cells and 5 fold in oligodendrocytes compared to untreated cultures. A pretreatment of these cells with 75 U/ml of rat IFN-/ resulted in an inhibition of the HC induction of GPDH enzymatic activity by 50% and 40% in C6 cells and oligodendrocytes respectively. We also found that IFN impaired the accumulation of GPDH mRNA in both cell types. These results demonstrate that IFNs are capable of modifying the cellular response to hormones in cells of neuroepithelial origin, and suggest the possibility that IFNs may be able to influence the development and function of the brain.Special issue dedicated to Dr. Paola S. Timiras     

Prolongation of survival of mice bearing the Eb and ESb lymphoma by treatment with interferon inducers alone or in combination with Corynebacterium parvum

Summary The objective of this study was to evaluate if pretreatment with Corynebacterium parvum (C. parvum) augments the effects of interferon (IFN) inducers on survival of DBA/2 mice transplanted with two syngeneic lymphoma variants, the low metastatic Eb and the high metastatic ESb tumor. The involvement of IFN in the treatment effects was investigated. As inducers of IFN-/ Newcastle disease virus (NDV), polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (polyI:polyC), and 10-carboxymethyl-9-acridanone (CMA) were injected i. p. at the site of tumor transplantation. The Eb tumor was found to be sensitive to the antiproliferative action of IFN-/ in vitro. In vivo single injections of each of the inducers retarded growth of the Eb tumor. In C. parvum-pretreated mice the effects of the inducers on survival were markedly increased. There was a correlation between prolonged survival and local IFN levels in response to polyI:polyC or CMA but not upon NDV. Injections of each of the inducers increased cytotoxicity of peritoneal exudate cells against the Eb tumor cells in vitro especially when mice were pretreated with C. parvum. Although other mechanisms cannot be excluded IFN-mediated activation of host defence and also direct antiproliferative effects of endogenously produced IFN seem to be involved in the antitumor effects by these IFN inducers in the Eb model. In the ESb tumor model irrespective of additional pretreatment with C. parvum survival was only slightly prolonged by the treatments and endogenous IFN induction did not result in any real benefit for the animals. When compared with Eb cells the ESb cells were less sensitive to the antiproliferative action of IFN-/ in vitro and less sensitive to in vitro cytotoxicity by the host cells. Although other mechanisms may additionally be active in vivo the different susceptibility of the Eb and ESb tumor cells to the direct and indirect actions of IFN seems to contribute to the different responsiveness of these tumor cell lines to the treatments with IFN inducers.     

The mode of recognition of tumor antigens by noncytolytic-type antitumor T cells: Role of antigen-presenting cells and their surface class I and class II H-2 molecules

Summary The present study investigated the role of antigen-presenting cells (APC) in the activation of noncytolytic T cells against tumor antigens. The noncytolytic-type T cells exerted their antitumor effect by producing -interferon (IFN-) and by activating macrophages as the ultimate effectors. The production of IFN- by these noncytolytic T cells following the stimulation with tumor cells required the participation of Ia⁺ APC, since the depletion of APC from cultures of tumor-immunized spleen cells resulted in almost complete inhibition of the IFN- production. Both L3T4⁺ and Lyt-2⁺ subsets of T cells were capable of producing IFN-, and the requirement of APC for the production of IFN- was the case irrespective of whether noncytolytic T cells were of L3T4⁺ or Lyt-2⁺ phenotype. More importantly, it was demonstrated that the production of IFN- by L3T4⁺ and Lyt-2⁺ T cells was inhibited by addition of the respective anti-class II and anti-class I H-2 antibody to cultures. These results indicate that antitumor L3T4⁺ or Lyt-2⁺ noncytolytic T cells are activated for the IFN- production by recognizing tumor antigens in the context of self-class II or -class I H-2 molecules on APC.This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for the Special Project Cancer-Bioscience from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan     

Interferons up-regulate with different potency HLA class I antigen expression in M14 human melanoma cell line. Possible interaction with glucocorticoid hormones

The relative potency of interferon (IFN), interferon (IFN), and interferon (IFN) in inducing the expression of HLA class I antigens, as well as their capacity to counteract the inhibition induced by glucocorticoid hormones on HLA class I antigen expression, were analysed in the human melanoma cell line M14, both at membrane and at mRNA level. The data obtained indicate that (a) IFN enhance with different potency (IFN>IFN>IFN) the expression of HLA class I antigens in M14 cells, (b) prednisone inhibits HLA class I antigen expresion, (c) glucocorticoid hormones, when associated with IFN or IFN, inhibit the HLA class I enhancement induced by IFN alone, and ffinally, (c) the association between 1 M prednisone or 1 M deflazacort and IFN seems to potentiate the enhancing capacity of IFN on the expression of HLA class I molecules at the mRNA level. These findings, if confirmed, might indicate that IFN and glucocorticoid hormones are not mutually exclusive in the management of human melanoma.     

Mice lacking the IFN-γ receptor or fyn develop severe experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis characterized by different immune responses

Endogenous interferon (IFN)- negatively regulates experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU), a Th1-mediated disease. Although it is well known that IFN- exerts its effects by binding to the IFN- receptor (IFN-R), the role that IFN-R plays in the development of EAU has not been investigated. Fyn has been reported to inhibit Th2 differentiation. We aimed to investigate how endogenous IFN-R and fyn, which influence Th1/Th2 differentiation, participate in the development of EAU. Sex-matched 6- to 10-week-old C57BL/6 wild-type (WT), IFN-R knockout (GRKO) and fyn knockout (fyn KO) mice were compared. Mice were immunized subcutaneously with human interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein peptide 1–20 emulsified in Freunds complete adjuvant together with an intraperitoneal injection of Bordetella pertussis toxin. Three weeks later, mice were sacrificed, and their eyes and spleens were harvested for histopathologic analyses and examination of cellular immune responses, respectively. Cellular immune responses were evaluated by measuring the proliferative responses and cytokine production [interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, IFN- and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-] of splenocytes. The incidence of EAU was 40.0% in WT mice, 59.3% in GRKO mice and 78.6% in fyn KO mice. The average EAU score was 0.294 in WT mice, 0.917 in GRKO mice and 1.063 in fyn KO mice. Upon EAU induction, significant infiltration of eosinophils into the eyes was observed in GRKO and fyn KO mice compared to WT mice. Splenocytes from GRKO mice proliferated against the antigen and a mitogen more vigorously than those from WT and fyn KO mice. Stimulation of splenocytes with the antigen induced a higher production of IL-4, IL-6, IL-13 and IFN- in GRKO mice compared to WT and fyn KO mice. In contrast, IL-5 and TNF- were most abundantly produced by splenocytes from fyn KO mice compared to WT and GRKO mice. The incidence and mean severity of EAU were significantly higher in GRKO and fyn KO mice than in WT mice, suggesting that endogenous IFN-R and fyn negatively regulate the development of EAU. The different cytokine production patterns by the GRKO and fyn KO mice indicate that the negative regulatory mechanism mediated by IFN-R and fyn may differ.