Interferon activity of mitogen-induced chicken splenic lymphocytes which do not express interferon mRNA

Interferon activity was measured in media from virally infected chicken embryo fibroblasts and Concanavalin A-stimulated splenic lymphocytes using a viral inhibition assay. Both cell types produce interferon activity. A cDNA probe corresponding to a chicken interferon mRNA was used to probe Northern blots of RNA prepared from both cells. A single hybridizing species of 900 bases was detected in virally infected fibroblast RNA, but no hybridizing species was detected in the splenic lymphocytes. These results suggest that the interferon activity produced by lymphocytes is of different molecular origin than the corresponding activity produced by virally infected fibroblasts.