ISOLATION OF A SUBSPECIES OF MURINE INTERFERON ANTIGENICALLY RELATED TO HUMAN LEUKOCYTE INTERFERON

Various preparations of virus-induced murine tissue culture interferon were found to exhibit some antiviral activity in cultures of human and bovine cells. The heterologous antiviral activity of these murine interferons on both human and bovine cultures was shown to be due to an antigenically distinct murine interferon subspecies. Isolation of the murine interferon species responsible for the heterologous antiviral activities was accomplished by means of antibody affinity chromatography using anti-human leukocyte interferon to selectively remove this interferon species from the bulk of murine antiviral activity. The isolated species, while only accounting for 1-2% of homologous antiviral activity of the unfractionated interferon, was responsible for all the heterologous human and bovine antiviral activity. The antiviral activities of this minor murine interferon component on both murine and human cells were neutralized by antiserum against leukocyte interferon as well as by antiserum against mouse L cell interferon. © 1979.