Murine B16 melanoma vaccination-induced tumor immunity: identification of specific immune cells and functions involved.

Vaccination using inactivated B16 melanoma cells that have been treated in vitro for > 2 weeks with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) (B16alpha cells) has been shown to elicit a protective host antitumor immunity. In these studies, vaccination with B16alpha cells has been shown to provide protection against primary B16 tumor challenge, established B16 tumors, and metastatic B16 tumors. Specific immune cells and factors that might mediate this tumor immunity have now been evaluated. Macrophage depletion studies suggest that macrophage function is required for expression of tumor immunity either for processing of antigen or for cytokine production but that macrophage function is not involved in direct cytotoxicity against the B16 challenge tumor. CD8(+) T cell depletion studies show that cytotoxic T cell function is required for expression of tumor immunity. Syngeneic knockout mouse experiments offer further insights into the immune cells and factors that mediate the development and expression of tumor immunity. First, interleukin-12 (IL-12) knockout mouse experiments identify IL-12 as an important cytokine in mediating the development of tumor immunity. Second, specific knockout mouse experiments show that tumor immunity requires the function of CD4(+) T cells, CD8(+) T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. Third, specific knockout mouse experiments show that tumor immunity does not require the function of B cells. The results suggest that vaccination with inactivated B16alpha cells induces an active, cell-mediated immunity to B16 melanoma cells. The tumor vaccination protocol with B16alpha cell vaccinations establishes a potent tumor immunity against B16 melanoma tumors in mice and may serve as a model for induction of tumor immunity against primary or secondary melanoma tumors in humans.

Systemic effects of orally administered interferons and interleukin-2.

Orally administered interferons (IFN-alpha, IFN-beta, and IFN-gamma) have been shown to exert a number of systemic effects. Orally administered IFNs exert dose-dependent suppressive effects on the peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count. The suppression of the peripheral WBC count is mediated by a suppression of the function of the bone marrow, as measured in an in vitro bone marrow colony-forming assay. The peripheral WBC and bone marrow suppressive effects of orally administered IFNs are at least as potent as those occurring with parenterally administered IFNs. However, the mechanism by which orally administered IFNs exert these peripheral WBC suppressive and bone marrow suppressive effects differs significantly from that of parenterally administered IFNs: orally administered IFN is not detectable in the serum, the effect of orally administered IFN is not blocked by circulating antibody, the effect of orally administered IFN can be adoptively transferred by injection with peripheral white blood cells from donor mice, and the effect of orally administered IFN develops more slowly than that of parenterally administered interferon. Orally administered IFN-alpha employed alone and in synergistic combination with intraperitoneally administered IFN-gamma can exert an antitumor effect. Finally, orally administered interleukin-2 can exert a suppressive effect on both the peripheral white blood cell count and on the bone marrow. These observations suggest that the oral route may be an effective and novel mechanism for the efficacious administration of IFNs and other lymphokines/cytokines.

Efficacy of B16 melanoma cells exposed in vitro to long-term IFN-alpha treatment (B16alpha cells) as a tumor vaccine in mice.

B16 melanoma cells exposed to >2 weeks of in vitro interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) treatment (B16alpha cells) were UV inactivated and used for vaccination. This vaccination was efficacious against challenge with parental B16 cells in the absence of adjuvant therapy. Vaccinations based on parental cells and B16 cells exposed to short-term in vitro IFN-alpha treatment were not effective. The efficacy of B16alpha vaccination was evaluated using three B16 tumor models. Using intraperitoneal (i.p.) tumor challenge given after vaccination, vaccination efficacy depended on the concentration of IFN-alpha to which B16alpha cells were exposed, the number of inactivated B16alpha cells inoculated, the number of inoculations administered, and the amount of tumor burden. A significant fraction (30%) of vaccinated mice surviving initial challenge had durable immunity against a second parental tumor challenge. This immunity increased to 92% with administration of a single booster vaccination. Using metastatic tumor challenge given after vaccination, vaccination reduced lung metastases by approximately 67%. Using vaccination begun 3 days after subcutaneous (s.c.) tumor challenge, regression of established tumor occurred when vaccination was given i.p. (39%) or contralaterally s.c. (53%). Taken together, the results suggest that vaccination with inactivated B16alpha cells may serve as a model for induction of host tumor immunity against primary or secondary tumors.

Orally administered IFN-alpha acts alone and in synergistic combination with intraperitoneally administered IFN-gamma to exert an antitumor effect against B16 melanoma in mice.

Administration of interferons (IFN) via the intranasal route recently has been shown to exert an antitumor activity against a variety of tumors in mice, including B16 melanoma inoculated intravenously. This study confirms the antitumor activity of orally administered IFN-alpha against B16 melanoma challenge using another route of tumor inoculation, the intraperitoneal route. It further demonstrates that orally administered IFN-alpha can synergistically interact with intraperitoneally administered IFN-gamma but not with intraperitoneally administered IFN-alpha. The results support the interpretation that the oral route may provide an effective alternative or supplement to current methods of IFN administration for the control of malignancies.

Interferon regulates expression of mda-6/WAF1/CIP1 and cyclin-dependent kinases independently from p53 in B16 murine melanoma cells.

Interferons (IFNs) induce growth arrest and terminal differentiation through regulation of proliferative genes in a variety of cell types including tumor cells. Growth of melanoma cells is believed to be controlled by the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, mda-6/WAF1/CIP1 gene. IFNs affect the expression of WAF1 in several cell types, including human melanomas. In our earlier reports we demonstrated the antitumor and anticellular activities of different IFN-types on B16 murine melanoma cells. The present study aimed to demonstrate the involvement of mda-6/WAF1 and related cyclin-dependent kinases in antitumor action of different IFN-types in B16 melanoma cells. IFN-alpha has been proven to be a potent inducer of mda-6/WAF1, also inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinases, such as cdc2- and cdk2-kinase. This induction is p53-independent. However, IFN-gamma affects B16 cells differently, it induces p53 activity without inducing WAF1. The combination of IFN-alpha plus IFN-gamma is additive rather than synergistic. Our data demonstrate differential effects of different IFNs on murine B16 melanoma cells which may have relevance in nonsurgical treatment of melanomas.

B16 melanoma cells exposed in vitro to long-term IFN-alpha treatment (B16 alpha cells) as activators of tumor immunity in mice.

Mice inoculated with B16 melanoma cells exposed to long-term in vitro IFN-alpha treatment (> or = 14 days, B16 alpha cells) but not short-term in vitro IFN-alpha treatment (24 h) exhibited an enhanced survival time. Enhanced survival time also occurred when inactivated B16 alpha cells were inoculated at the same time as live B16 cells. Further, an even greater improvement in survival time was observed when the inactivated B16 alpha cells were inoculated before live B16 cell challenge. No enhancement in survival time was observed when mice were inoculated with inactivated, untreated B16 cells. Enhancement of survival time by B16 alpha cells was unrelated to retrovirus surface antigen expression. Long-lasting protective immunity to B16 cells was observed in mice that survived B16 alpha cell, but not normal B16 cell, challenge and subsequent IFN treatment. It is evident that inoculation with inactivated B16 alpha cells, but not with inactivated untreated B16 cells, was able to prolong significantly the survival time of mice either simultaneously or subsequently challenged with live B16 cells. Additionally, survival of B16 alpha-inoculated but not B16-inoculated mice was accompanied by a durable immunity. Inoculation of inactivated B16 alpha cells may serve as a model for the induction of host immunity to a parental primary or secondary tumor.

Lack of mda-6/WAF1/CIP1-mediated inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases in interferon-alpha resistant murine B16 melanoma cells.

Previously we demonstrated that IFN-alpha augments mda-6/WAF1 and inhibits cyclin-dependent kinases in a p53-independent fashion in B 16 murine melanoma cells. On the other hand, IFN-gamma activates p53 expression without affecting the mda-6/WAF1 system. Combination of the two IFNs is additive. B16 cells acquire IFN-alpha resistant but IFN-gamma sensitive phenotype after long term IFN-alpha treatment (B16alpha cells). Here we demonstrate the absence of mda-6/WAF1-associated repression of cyclin-dependent kinases, but the existence of p53-dependent c-myc inhibition in IFN-gamma-treated B16alpha cells. Clearly, selective desensitization of IFN-alpha related growth regulation does not influence the IFN-gamma associated pathway. Our results further support the coexistence of distinct growth regulatory mechanisms in B16 cells that can be activated by different IFN-types independently of each other.

Enhanced in vivo sensitivity of in vitro interferon-treated B16 melanoma cells to CD8 cells and activated macrophages.

Mouse B16 melanoma cells maintained in vitro in the presence of interferon (IFN)-alpha become resistant to the in vitro antiproliferative effects of IFN-alpha. However, IFN-alpha-treated mice inoculated with these in vitro IFN-treated cells (B16 alpha res cells) have significantly increased life spans (ILS) and significantly higher cure rates than IFN-alpha-treated mice inoculated with B16 cells. This unexpectedly greater sensitivity of B16 alpha res cells to the in vivo antitumor effects of IFN-alpha was evaluated by in vivo cell depletion experiments. Depletion of either activated peritoneal macrophages or cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) reduced the ILS of IFN-treated B16 alpha res-inoculated mice to a level comparable to that of IFN-treated B16-inoculated mice. Depletion of natural killer (NK) cells did not affect the ILS for IFN-treated B16 alpha res-inoculated mice. These studies indicate that activated macrophage and CD8 cell function, but not NK cell function, is important for the enhanced antitumor effects induced by IFN-alpha against B16 alpha res cells. Macrophage killing was unlikely to be mediated by TNF-alpha or IL-1 as B16 and B16 alpha res cells were equally sensitive to TNF-alpha and insensitive to IL-1 in vitro. Further, H-2K antigen expression is significantly more readily inducible on B16 alpha res cells than on B16 cells, consistent with enhanced CD8-mediated killing due to increased MHC class I antigen expression.

Oral application of cytokines.

A number of different laboratories reported on studies with orally administered interferons and cytokines. Their observations extend previous observations which showed that orally administered interferons and cytokines can exert both local and systemic effects. As difficult as it may be to understand how orally administered interferons and cytokines may exert both effects, the increasing number of laboratories that demonstrate biological effects with orally administered cytokines suggests that serious consideration be given to the possibility that orally administered interferons and cytokines can indeed exert effects. They also raise the possibility that these effects may have biological relevance for the treatment of human disease. Moreover, they may indicate that the nasal/oral region is a window on the environment. It is most important, however, to assure that these experiments are performed with special care to avoid presenting preliminary data that is not properly controlled. It is essential to carry out these studies with sufficient animals or patients to ascertain their significance; and to plan the studies as double-blind evaluations to avoid misinterpretations when subjective tests are used. Nevertheless, the overall data presented give one the impression of an area that should be pursued.

Enhanced in vitro macrophage cytotoxicity against interferon-treated B16 melanoma cells.

Resistance to the in vitro antiproliferative effects of INF-alpha rapidly develops in mouse B16 melanoma cells that are maintained in vitro in IFN-alpha (B16 alpha res cells). B16 alpha res cells, however, are significantly more sensitive to the antitumor effects of IFN-alpha when they are injected into mice. This enhanced sensitivity appears to be due, at least in part, to activated macrophages. To investigate enhanced macrophage sensitivity of B16 alpha res cells, macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity assays have been performed using both B16 and B16 alpha res cell targets. Thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages activated in vitro with IFN-gamma exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity against both B16 and B16 alpha res cells, but significantly higher levels of cytotoxicity occurred with B16 alpha res targets. Kinetics experiment results showed that the cytolytic effects against B16 alpha res cells occurred at a very much faster rate than the cytolytic effects against B16 cells (50% cytotoxicity with 2 h of incubation versus 40% cytotoxicity by 24 h, respectively). Finally, peritoneal macrophages from B16-inoculated mice also were significantly more cytotoxic against B16 alpha res cells than against B16 cells. Macrophages from B16 alpha res-inoculated mice were significantly more cytotoxic against B16 alpha res cells than were macrophages from B16-inoculated mice. Taken together, these observations provide in vitro evidence to support the suggestion that peritoneal macrophages are important mediators of the enhanced host-mediated antitumor effects against B16 alpha res cells.

Modulation of peripheral leukocyte counts and bone marrow function in mice by oral administration of interleukin-2.

Interferons alpha, beta, and gamma have been shown to exert systemic effects following their oral administration to mice. It was of importance to determine whether oral administration of another biologic response modifier, interleukin-2 (IL-2), could also exert systemic effects in mice. Two systemic effects, peripheral WBC suppression and bone marrow suppression, were evaluated. Oral administration of IL-2 was found to suppress the peripheral WBC count in a dose-dependent manner. Oral administration of IL-2 was also found to suppress the bone marrow proliferative activity. The levels of suppression of both peripheral WBC and myelopoietic progenitor cell numbers observed with orally administered IL-2 were comparable to those seen with subcutaneously administered IL-2. The results demonstrate that orally administered IL-2 can exert systemic effects. Further, the results raise the possibility that oral administration of IL-2 may have therapeutic potential.

Enhancement of MuIFN-gamma antitumor effects by hyperthermia: sequence dependence and time dependence of hyperthermia.

Heat-induced total body hyperthermia has been shown to synergistically enhance the in vivo antitumor effects of MuIFN-gamma directed against B16 melanoma in mice. This observation was made with an 8-hour exposure to hyperthermia that was administered following MuIFN-gamma treatment. It was not known whether this was the most efficacious treatment protocol. Various treatment protocols exploring MuIFN-gamma treatment at different relative times of exposure to hyperthermia and involving different durations of hyperthermia were evaluated. In a 5-day course of therapy, B16 tumor-bearing mice were injected with MuIFN-gamma or mock interferon and incubated in a dry incubator (resulting in a 2 degrees C rise in body temperature). The antitumor efficacy of MuIFN-gamma administered before, in the middle of, or following 8 hours of hyperthermia was evaluated. The antitumor effects of MuIFN-gamma were synergistically enhanced when the MuIFN-gamma was administered before 8 hours of hyperthermia (3.9-fold greater increased life span than with MuIFN-gamma treatment alone). However, when MuIFN-gamma was administered in the middle or following hyperthermia, the life spans were essentially the same as for MuIFN-gamma treatment alone, indicating that the effect of the hyperthermia exposures according to these treatment protocols were less than additive. Administration of MuIFN-gamma before hyperthermia exposures of 2 hours, 5 hours, and 8 hours showed antagonistic, additive, and synergistic interactions of the MuIFN-gamma treatment and hyperthermia exposure, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Enhanced in vivo sensitivity to interferon with in vitro resistant B16 tumor cells in mice.

Mouse B16 melanoma cells rapidly develop resistance to the antiproliferative effects of interferon alpha (IFN alpha) and interferon beta (IFN beta) when they are exposed to the interferons in vitro. This resistance was characterized to be non-genetic and dose-dependent, and does not alter other IFN-induced effects such as antiviral effects and elevation of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase activity in IFN-treated cells. The study of these IFN-resistant cells has been extended to an in vivo tumor model. Resistance, if it occurred in vivo, did not adversely affect the survival of IFN-treated mice. Further, IFN-treated mice inoculated with B16 cells that were resistant in vitro (B16 alpha res cells) survived significantly longer than IFN-treated mice inoculated with B16 cells that were sensitive in vitro. The IFN-treated B16 alpha res-inoculated mice had a significantly higher cure rate as well. The prolonged survival of the mice bearing B16 alpha res cell tumors did not seem to be caused by the slower growth rate of the B16 alpha res cells, since experiments performed with a tenfold higher B16 alpha res cell inoculum and a tenfold lower B16 cell inoculum did not show any change in the survival pattern. It is clear that in vitro resistant B16 alpha res cells are more sensitive to antitumor effects induced by IFN in vivo than in vitro sensitive B16 cells.

Interactions of interferon and vinblastine on experimental tumor model melanoma B-16 in vitro.

In this study, we tried to define in vitro interactions of two antitumor agents that have different sites and different mechanisms of action. Vinblastine (VLB) in combination with human recombinant interferon-alpha A/D (rHuIFN-alpha A/D) and in combination with murine recombinant interferon-gamma (rMuIFN-gamma) was studied. The effect of the combination was determined with cell growth kinetics assay on B-16 melanoma and the interaction defined by means of Spector's formula. Both the combination of rHuIFN-alpha A/D with VLB and the combination of rMuIFN-gamma with VLB synergistically inhibited cell growth in vitro. There was a positive biochemical modulation between the two drugs, but it is still unknown whether it occurred at the level of uptake into the cell, metabolism within the cell or egress from the cell.

Circadian dependence of interferon antitumor activity in mice.

BACKGROUND: Chronobiological studies with anticancer drugs have shown that their effectiveness and/or toxicity is significantly influenced by the time of their administration in the circadian cycle. Previous studies also have shown that the myelotoxicity of interferons is similarly influenced. PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to evaluate the antitumor activity of interferons as a function of their administration to animals at defined points in the circadian cycle with equal light and dark periods. METHODS: A murine tumor model was employed. Following adaptation to alternating cycles of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark for a period of 2-3 weeks, C57BL/6 mice were inoculated with B16 melanoma cells intraperitoneally at different hours after light onset. Exactly 24 hours after inoculation, each group received intraperitoneal injections of either recombinant human interferon alpha (rHuIFN-alpha A/D), recombinant murine IFN-gamma (rMuIFN-gamma), or interferon-carrier solution as control (once a day for 5 days) and were monitored for the length of their survival. RESULTS: The antitumor activity (calculated as percent increased life span) of both rHuIFN-alpha A/D and rMuIFN-gamma varied with the points at which they were administered in the circadian cycle. However, the points showing minimum and maximum activity for rHuIFN-alpha A/D (12-16 and 0-4 hours after light onset, respectively) did not correspond with the points for the rMuIFN-gamma (0-8 and 16 hours after light onset, respectively). To generate maximum antitumor activity, approximately fivefold higher amounts of rHuIFN-alpha A/D were required at 12 than at 4 hours after light onset (dose range, 3333-90,000 IU/d) (P < .0001). Similarly, for rMuIFN-gamma at least 8.5-fold greater amounts were required at 8 than at 16 hours after light onset (dose range, 667-6000 IU/d) (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: In the murine tumor model, administration of rHuIFN-alpha A/D at 4 hours after light onset and rMuIFN-gamma at 16 hours after light onset may produce maximum antitumor activity.

Orally administered interferons suppress bone marrow function.

The accepted routes of interferon (IFN) administration in clinical applications are intramuscular, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, intratumor, and intravenous. Recently, oral administration of interferons has been shown to cause a suppression of peripheral white blood cell (WBC) counts. Moreover, orally administered interferons mediate their peripheral WBC suppression via a different mechanism than that of intraperitoneally administered interferons. This study extends the previous studies to show that the peripheral WBC suppression induced by oral interferon treatment reflects an actual bone marrow suppression. The bone marrow-suppressive effects of orally and subcutaneously administered recombinant human IFN-alpha A/D (rHuIFN-alpha A/D) have been partially characterized in kinetics studies and compared with the peripheral WBC-suppressive effects of orally and subcutaneously administered rHuIFN-alpha A/D. Oral and subcutaneous administrations of rHuIFN-alpha A/D cause a significant suppression of peripheral WBC counts with 1 day of rHuIFN-alpha A/D administration. This suppression reaches its maximum level with 3 days of rHuIFN-alpha A/D administration and plateaus over a 12-day treatment time. Similarly, oral and subcutaneous administrations of rHuIFN-alpha A/D cause a significant suppression of bone marrow function with 1 day of rHuIFN-alpha A/D administration. This suppression reaches its maximum level with 3 days of rHuIFN-alpha A/D administration and plateaus over a 12-day treatment time. Thus, the WBC-suppressive and bone marrow-suppressive effects of rHuIFN-alpha A/D administered either orally or subcutaneously parallel each other. The peripheral WBC-suppressive activities of orally and subcutaneously administered rHuIFN-alpha A/D diminish at the same rate, after cessation of rHuIFN-alpha A/D treatment. Peripheral WBC suppression is lost by 5 days after cessation of rHuIFN-alpha A/D treatment. The mechanisms by which orally and subcutaneously administered interferons exert their bone marrow-suppressive effects differ, however. Bone marrow suppression mediated by subcutaneous administration of murine IFN-alpha/beta (MuIFN-alpha/beta) is blocked by the presence of circulating antibodies to MuIFN-alpha/beta. In contrast, the bone marrow suppression mediated by oral administration of MuIFN-alpha/beta occurs even in the presence of circulating antibodies to MuIFN-alpha/beta. These results continue to support a potential clinical role for oral administration of interferons, particularly for the control of diseases of myelogenous origin.

Optimal circadian timing reduces the myelosuppressive activity of recombinant murine interferon-gamma administered to mice.

There is a marked, reproducible circadian variation in the toxicity of a number of antineoplastic drugs. A recent study has employed a murine model to show that recombinant human interferon-alpha A/D (rHuIFN-alpha A/D) exhibited a differential potency in its peripheral white blood cell (WBC)-suppressive and bone marrow-suppressive activities according to the time in the circadian cycle at which it was administered. It was of interest to determine whether another biological response modifier such as IFN-gamma would also exhibit a differential potency during the circadian cycle. A mouse model was used to study peripheral WBC suppression, a toxicity associated with IFN-gamma therapy. Recombinant murine (rMu)IFN-gamma was employed to induce peripheral WBC suppression and was evaluated for its ability to induce peripheral WBC suppression as a function of the time of rMuIFN-gamma administration. Mice were maintained on cycles of 12 h of light and 12 h of darkness. The rMuIFN-gamma was administered at various hours after light onset (HALO). The rMuIFN-gamma-induced peripheral WBC-suppressive effect varied in its intensity in a cyclical manner. Administration of rMuIFN-gamma at 4 HALO caused the greatest suppressive effect, whereas administration of rMuIFN-gamma at 14 HALO caused the least suppressive effect. Mice treated at 14 HALO were found to be about 20-fold less sensitive to the peripheral WBC-suppressive effects of rMuIFN-gamma than mice treated at 4 HALO. This differential sensitivity to the peripheral WBC-suppressive effects of rMuIFN-gamma was examined at six different times in the circadian cycle and was found to be a general effect, occurring throughout the circadian cycle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Circadian variations in myelosuppressive activity of interferon-alpha in mice: identification of an optimal treatment time associated with reduced myelosuppressive activity.

A number of antitumor drugs have been shown to vary in their toxicity and in their antitumor potency according to the time in the circadian cycle at which they are administered. It was of interest to determine whether other agents, such as a biological response modifier, would also exhibit differential potency during the circadian cycle. Interferons (IFNs) are biological response modifiers which have antitumor and antiviral activity and which also have toxic side effects. A mouse model was used to study one of these toxic side effects, peripheral white blood cell (WBC) suppression. Interferon-induced peripheral WBC suppression was evaluated as a function of the time of recombinant human (rh) IFN-alpha A/D administration. Mice were maintained on cycles of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. The rhIFN-alpha A/D was administered at various hours after light onset (HALO). The rhIFN-alpha A/D-induced peripheral WBC suppressive effect varied in its intensity in a cyclical manner. Administration of rhIFN-alpha A/D at 0 HALO caused the greatest suppressive effect, while administration of rhIFN-alpha A/D at 8 HALO caused the least suppressive effect. Mice treated at 8 HALO were found to be about 10-fold less sensitive to the peripheral WBC suppressive effects of rhIFN-alpha A/D than mice treated at 0 HALO. This differential sensitivity to the peripheral WBC suppressive effects of rhIFN-alpha A/D was examined for 6 different times in the circadian cycle and was found to be a general effect, occurring throughout the circadian cycle. Using a granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming unit (GM-CFU) assay, bone marrow function was also shown to be differentially affected by treatment with rhIFN-alpha A/D at 0 HALO and 8 HALO in a manner parallel to that seen with peripheral WBC. Thus, rhIFN-alpha A/D exerts a differential effect on peripheral WBC counts and on bone marrow function according to the time in the circadian cycle at which it is administered to the mouse. Such temporal variation in the myelosuppressive activity of interferons could be important in designing future clinical trials with these antiviral and antitumor agents. Administration of interferons at empirically determined times in the circadian cycle could be used to reduce the myelotoxic side effects of interferons in humans.

Prevention of resistance to IFN-alpha antiproliferative activity: characterization of the effect of IFN-gamma and substitution for IFN-gamma by tumor necrosis factor.

Non-genetic resistance to the antiproliferative effects of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) develops in murine and human melanoma cells within 2-4 days of exposure of the cells to IFN-alpha. Simultaneous treatment of murine B16 melanoma cells with MuIFN-gamma and MuIFN-alpha prevents the development of resistance. In this study, the ability of MuIFN-gamma pretreatment to prevent the development of resistance was assessed for varying concentrations of MuIFN-gamma and for varying lengths of time of pretreatment. Pretreatment of the cells for 48 h with MuIFN-gamma using concentrations as low as 5 U/ml prevents the subsequent development of resistance when the cells are cloned in the presence of MuIFN-alpha. Higher concentrations of MuIFN-gamma are more effective in preventing the development of resistance. In addition, short MuIFN-gamma pretreatment times, such as 2-4 h, appeared to be most effective in preventing the development of resistance. In order to determine the mechanism for this biological effect, various second messenger perturbing chemical agents and several other biological agents were screened for ability to prevent the development of resistance. Neither interleukin-2 (IL-2), epidermal growth factor (EGF), nor any of the chemical agents examined could prevent the development of resistance, nor did they alter the ability of MuIFN-gamma to prevent the development of resistance. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), however, was able to substitute for MuIFN-gamma in preventing the development of resistance, using concentrations of 125 ng/ml and higher.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hypoxia enhances the antiviral activity of interferons.

WISH and Hep-2 cells were incubated in an environment with atmospheric oxygen (20% O2, approximately 140 mmHg partial pressure), and under hypoxic conditions (2% O2, approximately 14 mmHg). The oxygen tension greatly affected the metabolism of the cells and their response to interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and IFN-gamma. Under hypoxic conditions, the cytopathogenicity of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was reduced by about 50%, and the antiviral effects of the interferons (IFNs) were increased, both in terms of VSV-induced cytopathic effect (CPE), and yields of infectious virus. Local hypoxia is a nonspecific host defense against virus infection. The present results suggest that one of the mechanisms is by potentiation of the effects of the IFN produced at the sites of virus replication.