Antiviral and protein-inducing activities of recombinant human leukocyte interferons and their hybrids

Abstract

The antiviral activities of recombinant human leukocyte interferons IFN-.alpha.A and IFN-.alpha.D as well as 5 hybrids of these interferons against retroviruses, vesicular stomatitis virus and encephalomyocarditis virus were studied in feline, human and murine cells. Although these interferon species had widely different potencies, their activities against these viruses were, in general, proportional. The IFN-.alpha.A/D (Bgl) hybrid was the most potent species, and the IFN-.alpha.D/A (Bgl) hybrid was the least potent. The latter species did not interfere with the action of the former species. Like natural human leukocyte interferon, each of the 7 spp. of recombinant interferons induced the synthesis of at least 5 proteins in human fibroblasts; induction of only one such protein was readily detected in a feline fibrolast line in which these interferon species inhibited the replication of all 3 viruses.