IFN-ALPHA INDUCES MXA GENE-EXPRESSION IN CULTURED HUMAN CORNEAL FIBROBLASTS

Treatment of certain human cells with Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) ind uces the synthesis of a 76 kDa protein designated MxA that is involved in resistance to viral infection. We have used a specific cDNA clone and monoclonal Ab to show that MxA is induced in IFN-alpha treated hum an corneal fibroblast cultures. Mx RNA was increased 23-fold and 45-fo ld after 5 and 9 h of IFN-alpha treatment, respectively. The MxA prote in was detectable by immunoblotting at 5 hr after IFN treatment and pe aked at 17 hr. Concentrations of IFN-alpha as low as 1 U/ml induced de tectable amounts of MxA, and expression was maximal at 1 x 10(3) U ml( -1). These results confirm that MxA synthesis is induced in human corn eal fibroblasts treated with IFN-alpha.