Rapid Onset of Hyporesponsiveness to Interferon Induction on Re-exposure to Polyribonucleotide

Abstract

Summary Only doses of complexed polyriboinosinic: polyribocytidylic acids sufficient to induce interferon, stimulated hyporesponsiveness to re-induction in rabbit kidney cells. Results of experiments designed to delineate the earliest time of appearance of hyporesponsiveness suggested the time of onset was less than 1 h after the end of a 1 h exposure to the inducer. The duration of hyporesponsiveness was about 24 h. Interferon itself did not produce hyporesponsiveness. Hence hyporesponsiveness must be related to an event or a substance synthesized before interferon production. The best candidate is a control protein inhibiting interferon production which is rapidly synthesized following exposure to an inducer.