Reversible inhibition of interferon synthesis by puromycin: evidence for an interferon-specific messenger RNA

Retinoic acid (vitamin A acid) induced transcriptional control of interferon production

The production of interferon was used to study the site and mechanism of action of retinoic acid (vitamin A). The data are consistent with a site of action at the gene level, because it appears that interferon production is blocked at the transcriptional step by a retinoic acid-induced protein. (i) The effect of retinoic acid is probably on an early cellular function associated with interferon production rather than an effect on the inducer [virus or poly(I).poly(C)]. (ii) The suppression of interferon production by retinoic acid is blocked by cycloheximide, indicating that a newly synthesized protein (repressor) mediates the suppression. (iii) When allowances are made for the time required for the synthesis of the retinoic acid-induced protein, the time course of retinoic acid suppression of interferon production is superimposable on the time course of actinomycin D suppression because the slopes are parallel. These data provide evidence for transcriptional control of a specific protein (interferon) by retinoic acid. Additionally, they support the existence of transcriptional control of interferon production after addition of inducer.

Biosynthesis of mouse interferon by translation of its messenger RNA in a cell-free system

A fraction of mouse RNA containing messenger RNA coding for mouse interferon was translated with high efficiency in a wheat germ system into a fully active product. This product fulfills the criteria for mouse interferon, namely: (1) it was active against vesicular stomatitis virus and herpes simplex virus in mouse cells; (2) its antiviral activity was species specific; (3) its activity was completely neutralized by mouse anti-interferon serum. The synthesis of interferon in this cell-free system requires the presence of spermine.

Interferon messenger RNA: translation in heterologous cells

A viral inhibitor with the characteristics of mouse interferon is produced by avian and simian cells preincubated with RNA extracted from interferon-producing mouse cells. Similarly, RNA extracted from interferon-producing monkey cells induces a monkey interferon-like substance in avian cells and also in a line of simian cells, VERO, which normally lacks the capacity to produce its own interferon. In both cases, the RNA effect is inhibited by treatment of the receptor cells by cycloheximide, but not by actinomycin D. We conclude that interferon messenger RNA has been translated in the receptor cells. Thus, the production of interferon in heterologous cells can be used as a sensitive assay of interferon messenger RNA.

Action of interferon: kinetics and differential effects on viral functions

A highly purified rabbit interferon was tested for its capacity to inhibit various manifestations of infection of primary rabbit kidney (RK) cells with vesicular stomatitis (VS) virus. A kinetic analysis of the actinomycin-sensitive phase of interferon-induced cellular resistance revealed that RK cells could transcribe virtually all of the hypothetical antiviral messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) within 3 hr. Similar exposure to interferon reduced virus yield by 95 to 99% and markedly inhibited cytopathic effect on RK cells infected at a multiplicity of 10 or less. Interferon was less effective in blocking cytopathic effects when RK cells were infected at a multiplicity of 100. However, RK cells pretreated with the same amount of interferon and infected at a multiplicity of 100 failed to incorporate (3)H-amino acids into structural or nonstructural proteins of VS virus identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Despite this inhibition of viral protein synthesis, interferon did not prevent the switch off by VS virus of cellular protein synthesis. The rapidity with which a high multiplicity of VS virus switched off cellular protein synthesis, even in cells rendered resistant to viral infection by interferon, is further evidence that this reaction is caused by an infecting virion component rather than by a newly synthesized viral product.

Purified rabbit interferon: attempts to demonstrate interferon-specific 3H-protein

(3)H-protein present in highly purified preparations of rabbit interferon was not conclusively separated from noninterferon, cellular (14)C-proteins by co-chromatography on carboxymethyl-Sephadex or by co-electrophoresis on acid or neutral polyacrylamide gels.

The specificity of interferon induction in chick embryo cells by helical RNA

Treatment of chick embryo cells growing in culture with rI:rC and many other RNA-like polymers results in the induction of interferon. DEAE dextran is required to facilitate the uptake of the RNA into the cells. Interferon-inducing activity is found with a variety of double-stranded helical polynucleotides, provided that all the sugar residues are ribose. However, the effectiveness of different active polynucleotides at a given concentration varies considerably. The differences in activity among the various polynucleotides do not appear to reflect differences in the rate or amount of uptake into the cells or in the rate of intracellular breakdown. Thehigh degree of specificity of the induction process is consistent with the existence of a specific intracellular receptor site, which may be a protein.

The role of individual spleen cells in the interferon response of the intact mouse

A method is described for the detection of interferon production by individual spleen cells of mice after intravenous virus infection. Although mouse spleen plays a major role in the total interferon response to Newcastle disease virus, the number of spleen cells participating is a small fraction of the total, suggesting that interferon formation is to some extent a specialized cell function. Monolayers of mouse embryo cells, after brief contact with agar-suspended spleen cells from interferon-producing mice, have roughly circular foci of cells remaining after removal of agar and vesicular stomatitis virus challenge. The numbers of such foci correlate directly with the number of spleen cells, concentration of inducing virus in the inoculum, duration of contact of cells with mouse-embryo indicator monolayers, time after interferon induction, and serum interferon titer. With this technique, evolution of the interferon-forming cell response in spleens of virus-infected mice has been studied.

Rabbit macrophage interferons. I. Conditions for biosynthesis by virus-infected and uninfected cells

Interferon is produced in cultures of rabbit leukocytes in response to infection with Newcastle disease virus or in the absence of known viral infection. The macrophage appears to be the responsible producing cell. Cultures prepared from sterile peritoneal exudates, which contained about 90% macrophages, are at least as efficient as cultures of rabbit kidney (RK) cells in their capacity to synthesize NDV-induced interferon. Interferon can be detected in the medium by 2 hr after viral infection and the titers usually reach a peak of 10,000 PDD(50)/ml by 4-6 hr. Exposure to actinomycin prior to or shortly after viral induction effectively blocks interferon synthesis by cells of both types. However, macrophages become refractory to actinomycin by 30-60 min compared with 607-120 min for RK cells, a finding which suggests earlier and more rapid transcription of interferon-specific messenger RNA in macrophages. Macrophages harvested from the peritioneal cavity of rabbits injected intravenously with NDV 48 hr previously also exhibit slightly reduced capacity to synthesize interferon, but this tolerant state is less marked than is tolerance to production of circulating interferon in intact rabbits. Interferon is also synthesized by rabbit macrophages not infected with virus but simply incubated at 37 degrees C in medium with or without added bacterial endotoxin. Uninfected polymorphonuclear leukocytes, rabbit kidney and spleen cells produced no detectable interferon under similar conditions of cultivation. No interferon was released by intact macrophages incubated at 4 degrees C or by ultrasonically disrupted macrophages incubated at 37 degrees C. Although interferon titers were found to be higher when uninfected cultures were exposed to 10-100 microg/ml of E. coli lipopolysaccharide, unavailability of suitable pyrogen-free maintenance media precluded answering the question whether macrophages can continually synthesize and release interferon spontaneously. Interferon yields from uninfected macrophages were only 1% or less of the yields from NDV-infected macrophages, but the rates of synthesis were similar under both conditions. Studies with actinomycin and puromycin revealed that sequential transcriptive and translational events are required for de novo interferon synthesis by uninfected cells in a manner similar to virus-induced interferon synthesis. The physical properties and molecular weights of these rabbit interferons are discussed in the following report (12).

Memory in mice analyzed with antibiotics. Antibiotics are useful to study stages of memory and to indicate molecular events which sustain memory

It is apparent that antibiotics are useful in differentiating different stages in the formation of memory. Puromycin gave the first indication that very early memory can be established and survive, for a short period at least, in spite of inhibition of protein synthesis (12). Injection of actinomycin D indicates that RNA synthesis is not essential during this early stage (13). The duration of this early period seems to vary with the inhibiting agent; with puromycin memory was notably degraded in less than an hour, but with actinomycin D or with acetoxycycloheximide it persisted for several hours or more. The fixation or consolidation of memory involves whatever processes give permanence to memory. These processes are disrupted when electroconvulsive shock is administered shortly after a learning experience, presumably because of the interference with organized patterns of neuronal electrical activity. Memory acquired in the presence of antibiotics appears to proceed to a stage beyond that based purely on electrical activity because the memory persists beyond the period usually reported as sensitive to electroconvulsive shock. Further work should show whether this stage is truly insensitive to electroconvulsive shock. Memory acquired in the presence of puromycin does not seem to achieve any durable consolidation. In contrast, memory acquired in the presence of or immediately before injection of acetoxycycloheximide does appear to initiate the later stages of consolidation, as permanent memory. reappears some days after the initial stages have become ineffective in controlling performance. Finally, puromycin has provided evidence of the enlarged area of the neocortex which participates as memory matures. Puromycin also indicates the time required for this maturation process. Since antibiotics have also been useful in studying learning and memory in goldfish (14), this approach seems to have general applicability in defining various stages in the process of memory formation. The initial purpose of these investigations was to determine the molecular basis of the "memory trace" This goal still remains distant, although there are some indications that protein synthesizing systems are involved. This objective, though of enormous interest, is to be regarded as only a necessary first step. Whether new proteins or some other molecules cause the changes in synapses thought to underlie memory, this knowledge of itself will contribute only a beginning to our understanding of the events which account for the functioning of the brain. A determination of the composition of computer components would provide very little information towards unraveling their function. As the experiments proceeded, however, information of a more general nature was being obtained. The identification of different stages of consolidation show how injections of antibiotics can supplement electroconvulsive shock as a way of disrupting the establishment of memory and how it can supplement ablation in destroying memory already laid down in a permanent mode. Applied to larger animals the localization of various regions sensitive or insensitive to the action of the drugs should become more definitive. We hope that such experiments will contribute increasingly to the general problem of brain function.