PRIMING WITH INTERFERON-ALPHA(1) OR INTERFERON-ALPHA(2) ENHANCES THE PRODUCTION OF BOTH SUBTYPES SIMULTANEOUSLY

A short period of incubation with interferon-alpha (''priming'') incre ases the amounts of IFN-alpha formed by human peripheral blood leukocy tes when subsequently induced with a virus, We investigated specifical ly the effect of priming on the production of two individual subtypes, IFN-alpha(1) and IFN-alpha(2). The rate of interferon synthesis and t he amounts formed were equally potentiated in leukocytes primed with e ither IFN-alpha(1) or IFN-alpha(2). Whichever of these was used for pr iming had no selective effect on the relative increased production of TFN-alpha(1) or IFN-alpha(2).