Superinduction of cytotoxic interferon-beta in glioma cells

The possibility for new interferon therapy was investigated using the effect of endogenous human interferon-beta (HuIFN-beta) on various culture cell lines. Cell lines were exposed to superinduction agents (poly I: poly C, cycloheximide, and actinomycin D) and the production of endogenous interferon analyzed. Quantitative determination of HuIFN-beta and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) showed HuIFN-beta was induced in all of five glioma cell lines, one of two melanoma cell lines, and all of three lung carcinoma cell lines as well as fibroblasts. Northern blot analysis showed HuIFN-beta mRNA induced in glioma cells was identical to that from fibroblasts. Endogenous HuIFN-beta induced from glioma cells had a cytostatic or cytocidal effect against various human glioma cell lines, even those resistant to fibroblast-derived HuIFN-beta. These results show it may be possible to use the induction of excess endogenous cytotoxic HuIFN-beta in human glioma tissue itself.