This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Carter, W. A. Articles by Kaback, M. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Carter, W. A. Articles by Kaback, M. M.

Comparative Production of Interferon by Human Fetal, Neonatal, and Maternal Cells

¹ Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Pediatrics, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205

ABSTRACT

Production of interferon was studied in fibroblasts cultured from human fetal, neonatal, and maternal tissue. Human fetal and maternal cells were paired to diminish genetic variability. Fetal cells displayed an increased response to two inducers of interferon, virus and synthetic double-stranded ribopolynucleotide. Fetal cells released 300-fold more interferon than maternal cells on exposure to poly rI:rC. This enhanced capacity for interferon production was consistent in cultures developed from fetal skin obtained between the 10th and 20th gestational week. The response was relatively stable, persisting in cells cultured for 18 generations (about 14 weeks). On infection with Newcastle disease virus, fetal cells produced, on the average, 4 to 6.5 times more interferon than maternal or neonatal cells. The virus was adsorbed with equal efficiency by each type of cell. Increased production is apparently independent of the rates of overall protein synthesis, since fetal and maternal cells have very similar rates of total protein synthesis.