INTERFERON YIELD AND MHC ANTIGEN EXPRESSION OF HUMAN MEDULLOBLASTOMA CELLS AND ITS SUPPRESSION DURING DIBUTYRYL CYCLIC AMP-INDUCED DIFFERENTIATION - DO MEDULLOBLASTOMA CELLS DERIVE FROM BIPOTENT NEURONAL AND GLIAL PROGENITORS

1. Human medulloblastoma (ONS-76), a central nervous system (CNS)-deri ved undifferentiated cell line, was found to possess glial characteris tics as defined by responses in the interferon (IFN) system; ONS-76 ce lls produced as much IFN-beta as human fibroblast and glioma cells by viral infection and poly(I):poly(C) induction. 2. Major histocompatibi lity complex (MHC) class I antigens were also induced under IFN-beta s timulation. ONS-76 cells expressed neurofilament protein, as shown by Northern blot analysis, and morphological differentiation was induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dcAMP). 3. Expression of IFN-beta and MHC cla ss I antigens was suppressed in ONS-76 cells during the dcAMP-induced differentiation. 4. These results showed that ONS-76 cells possessed a glial property in IFN system responses and a neuronal property in cyt oskeleton protein, suggesting that the precursors of medulloblastoma m ay be characterized as bipotent neuronal and glial progenitors in CNS.