Interferon production in human hematopoietic cell lines: response to chemicals and characterization of interferons

We have surveyed interferon production and its modulation by 5-bromodeoxyuridine, butyrate, dexamethasone, dimethylsulfoxide and tetradecanoylphorbolacetate in 20 human hematopoietic cell lines derived from leukemias, lymphomas, myelomas and normal leukocytes, representing various maturation stages of lymphoid and myeloid cells. Sendai virus-induced interferon production was enhanced by at least one of the chemicals in 13 out of 14 B-type lymphoid cell lines, whereas no enhancement was observed in any of the non-B, non-T-, T-lymphoid, or myeloid cell lines tested. Interferon produced by 11 cell lines was partially characterized using antisera specific for HuIFN-alpha and HuIFN-beta. Six cell lines produced both IFN-alpha and IFN-beta, two lines produced by IFN-alpha and three lines (including both T-cell lines tested) produced only IFN-beta. In all cases examined, enhancement by chemicals of total interferon yields was due to selective stimulation of production of IFN-alpha. Poly (I):(C) induction of interferon was studied in a number of B-cell lines. In general, a similar pattern of IFN-alpha and -beta synthesis was observed as in virus-induced cells, but the proportion of IFN-beta was relatively smaller. Treatment with butyrate enhanced interferon production to a similar extent accompanied by a similar shift in composition as in virus-induced cells. Our results demonstrate that even in closely related cell types, production of IFN-alpha and IFN-beta can be regulated differently in response to the same inducer. In a single cell type in response to a single inducer, expression of IFN-alpha and IFN-beta can be differentially affected by chemicals.