RESISTANCE OF LYMPHOCYTIC CHORIOMENINGITIS VIRUS TO ALPHA BETA INTERFERON AND TO GAMMA-INTERFERON/

The susceptibility to alpha/beta interferon (IFN-alpha/beta) or to gam ma interferon (IFN-gamma) of various lymphocytic choriomeningitis viru s (LCMV) strains was evaluated in C57BL/6 mice and in various cell lin es. Anti-IFN-gamma treatment in vivo revealed that the LCMV strains Ar mstrong, Aggressive, and WE were most susceptible to IFN-gamma whereas Traub, Cl 13-Armstrong, and Docile were resistant. The same pattern o f susceptibility to recombinant IFN-gamma was observed in vitro. In vi vo treatment with anti-IFN-alpha/beta showed a sizeable increase in re plication of Aggressive, Armstrong, and WE; effects were less pronounc ed for Docile, Cl 13-Armstrong, or Traub. Correspondingly, WE, Armstro ng, and Aggressive were all relatively sensitive to purified IFN-alpha /beta in vitro, and Cl l3-Armstrong, Docile, and Traub were more resis tant. Overall, there was a good correlation between the capacity of LC MV strains to establish a persistent infection in adult immunocompeten t mice and their relative resistance to IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha/beta.