C. Chany et al., MECHANISM OF THE PROLIFERATION OF MOUSE S ARCOMA-VIRUS TRANSFORMED-CELLS STABLY REVERTED TO NON MALIGNANCY, Comptes rendus de l'Academie des sciences. Serie 3, Sciences de la vie, 316(11), 1993, pp. 1286-1289
Prolonged interferon (IFN) treatment can convert Moloney sarcoma-trans
formed mouse Balb C fibroblasts to a stable non-malignant status. The
cells recover a number of differentiated features, which are maintaine
d even when IFN is permanently omitted from the tissue culture medium.
We show here that reversion could be at least in part attributed to c
onstitutive IFN beta synthesized only in the reverted cells. The conti
nued replication of these cells, although unable to induce tumours in
athymic mice, could be the result of the maintained expression of an I
FN antagonist termed sarolectin (SCL), a balance being struck between
the effects of v-mos oncogene, interferon beta and SCLs. In agreement
with Lampl et al. [11], we suggest that normal cell growth is disconti
nuous, consisting of sudden bursts followed by prolonged arrests which
could be necessary to promote differentiation during the ensuring int
erphase.